8£RTRAND  SMIItTft 
OF  BOOKS" 
MAIN    ST 
*     OHIO 


i 


THE   ICE  ABOVE   GIBRALTAR 


RICK     DALE 


A   STORY  OF   THE  NORTHWEST  COAST 


BY 


KIRK  MUNROE 
AUTHOR  OF 

"SNOW-SHOES  AND  SLKDGES"  "THE  FUR-SEAL'S  TOOTH 
THE  "MATES"  SERIES  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY   W.  A.  ROGERS 


NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 


BOOKS  BY 
KIRK  MUNROE 

CAMPMATES.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
DORYMATES.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
CANOEMATES.     Illustrated.    Post  8vo 
RAFTMATES.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
WAKULLA.     Illustrated.     16mo 
THE  FLAMINGO  FEATHER.     Illustrated.     16mo 
DERRICK  STERLING.     Illustrated.     16mo 
CHRYSTAL,   JACK   &   CO.      Illustrated.      16mo 
THE  COPPER  PRINCESS.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
FORWARD,  MARCH!     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
THE  BLUE  DRAGON.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
FOR  THE  MIKADO.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
UNDER  THE  GREAT  BEAR.    Illustrated.    PostSvo 
THE  FUR-SEAL'S  TOOTH.    Illustrated.    Post  8vo 
SNOW-SHOES  AND  SLEDGES. 

Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
RICK  DALE.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 
THE  PAINTED  DESERT.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1896,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


PRINTED    IN     THE     UNITED    STATES    OF    AMERICA 
H-0 


CONTENTS 


OIIAPTKB  PAOB 

I.  A  POOR  RICH  BOY  .........  1 

II.  THE  RUNAWAY 9 

III.  ALARIC  TAKES  A  FIRST  LESSON     .     .     .     .  15 

IV.  THE  "EMPRESS"  LOSES  A  PASSENGER     .     .  22 
V.  FIRST  MATE  BONNY  BROOKS 29 

VI.  PREPARING  TO  BE  A  SAILOR 36 

VII.  CAPTAIN  DUFF,  OF  THE  SLOOP  "FANCY".     .  44 

VIII.  AN  UNLUCKY  SMASH 51 

IX.  "CHINKS"  AND  "DOPE" 58 

X.  PUGET  SOUND  SMUGGLERS 65 

XI.  A  VERY  TRYING  EXPERIENCE 72 

XII.  A  LESSON  IN  KEDGING 79 

XIII.  CHASING  A  MYSTERIOUS  LIGHT 86 

XIV.  BONNY'S  INVENTION,  AND  How  IT  WORKED    .  93 
XV.  CAPTURED  BY  A  REVENUE-CUTTER  .     .     .     .100 

XVI.  ESCAPE  OF  THE  FIRST  MATE  AND  CREW  .  .107 

XVII.  SAVED  BY  A  LITTLE  SIWASH  KID  .     .     .  .114 

XVIII.  LIFE  IN  SKOOKUM  JOHN'S  CAMP     .     .     .  .121 

XIX.  A  TREACHEROUS  INDIAN  FROM  NEAH  BAY  .   128 

XX.  AN  EXCITING  RACE  FOR  LIBERTY  ....  135 

XXI.  A  CASE  OF  MISTAKEN  IDENTITY     .     .     .  .142 

XXII.  Two  SHORT  BUT  EXCITING  VOYAGES  .  .149 


iv  CONTENTS 

OHAPTKK  PACK 

XXIII.  ALARIC  TODD'S  DARKEST  HOUR  .     .     .  156 

XXIV.  PHIL  RYDER  PAYS  A  DEBT     ....  163 
XXV.  ENGAGED  TO  INTERPRET  FOR  THE  FRENCH  171 

XXVI.  PREPARING  FOR  AN  ASCENT    .     .     .     .  178 

XXVII.  BONNY  COMMANDS  THE  SITUATION  .     .  185 

XXVIII.  ON  THE  EDGE  OF  PARADISE  VALLEY   .  192 

XXIX.  MOUNT  RAINIER  PLACED  UNDERFOOT    .  199 

XXX.  BLOWN  FROM  THE  RIM  OF  A  CRATER  .  205 

XXXI.  A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 212 

XXXII.  How  A  SONG  SAVED  ALARIC'S  LIFE     .  219 

XXXIII.  LAID  UP  FOR  REPAIRS 226 

XXXIV.  CHASED  BY  A  MADMAN 233 

XXXV.  A  GANG  OF  FRIENDLY  LOGGERS.     .     .  240 

XXXVI.  IN  A  NORTHWEST  LOGGING  CAMP    .     .  248 

XXXVII.  WHAT  is  A  HUMP-DURGIN?     ....  255 
XXXVIII.  ALARIC    AND    BONNY    AGAIN    TAKE    TO 

FLIGHT 262 

XXXIX.  BONNY    DISCOVERS    His    FRIEND    THE 

TRAMP 269 

XL.  A  FLOOD  OF  LIGHT  .  276 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE   ICE  ABOVE   GIBRALTAR Frontispiece 

ALARIC   MAKES   HIS   FIRST   DECISION Facing  p.    26 

"'VELL,  I  TELL  YOUJ  I  GIFS  T'VENTY-FIFE  '  "    .     .      "        40 
BONNY'S  INVENTION  STARTED       "        94 

THE  ARRIVAL   AT   SKOOKUM   JOHN'S "         118 

BONNY  SEIZED  A  TRUCK,  AND  ALARIC  A  MATTRESS      "      154 

"BONNY  WAS  JERKED  BACKWARD"        "      192 

"      238 


RICK    DALE 


CHAPTER  I 
A    POOR    RICH    BOY 

ALARIC  DALE  TODD  was  his  name,  and  it  was  a 
great  grief  to  him  to  be  called  "Allie."  Allie  Todd 
was  so  insignificant  and  sounded  so  weak.  Besides, 
Allie  was  a  regular  girl's  name,  as  he  had  been  so 
often  told,  and  expected  to  be  told  by  each  stranger 
who  heard  it  for  the  first  time.  There  is  so  much  in 
a  name,  after  all.  We  either  strive  to  live  up  to  it,  or 
else  it  exerts  a  constant  disheartening  pull  backward. 

Although  Alaric  was  tall  for  his  age,  which  was 
nearly  seventeen,  he  was  thin,  pale,  and  undeveloped. 
He  did  not  look  like  a  boy  accustomed  to  play  tennis 
or  football,  or  engage  in  any  of  the  splendid  athletics 
that  develop  the  muscle  and  self-reliance  of  those 
sturdy  young  fellows  who  contest  interscholastic 
matches.  Nor  was  he  one  of  these  ;  so  far  from  it, 
he  had  never  played  a  game  in  his  life  except  an  oc- 
casional quiet  game  of  croquet,  or  something  equally 
soothing.  He  could  not  swim  nor  row  nor  sail  a 
boat ;  he  had  never  ridden  horseback  nor  on  a  bicy- 
cle ;  he  had  never  skated  nor  coasted  nor  hunted  nor 
fished,  and  yet  he  was  perfectly  well  formed  and  in 
good  health.  I  fancy  I  hear  my  boy  readers  exclaim  : 


2  KICK   DALE 

"  What  a  regular  muff  your  Alaric  must  have  been  ! 
No  wonder  they  called  him  '  Allie'  I" 

And  the  girls?  Well,  they  would  probably  say, 
"  What  a  disagreeable  prig  I"  For  Alaric  knew  a 
great  deal  more  about  places  and  people  and  books 
than  most  boys  or  girls  of  his  age,  and  was  rather 
fond  of  displaying  this  knowledge.  And  then  he  was 
always  dressed  with  such  faultless  elegance.  His 
patent-leather  boots  were  so  shiny,  his  neckwear,  se- 
lected with  perfect  taste,  was  so  daintily  arranged,  and 
while  he  never  left  the  house  without  drawing  on  a 
pair  of  gloves,  they  were  always  so  immaculate  that  it 
did  not  seem  as  though  he  ever  wore  the  same  pair 
twice.  He  was  very  particular,  too,  about  his  linen, 
and  often  sent  his  shirts  back  to  the  laundress  un- 
worn because  they  were  not  done  up  to  suit  him.  As 
for  his  coats  and  trousers,  of  which  he  had  so  many 
that  it  actually  seemed  as  though  he  might  wear  a 
different  suit  every  day  in  the  year,  he  spent  so  much 
time  in  selecting  material,  and  then  in  being  fitted, 
and  insisted  on  so  many  alterations,  that  his  tailors 
were  often  in  despair,  and  wondered  whether  it  paid 
to  have  so  particular  a  customer,  after  all.  They 
never  had  occasion,  though,  to  complain  about  their 
bills,  for  no  matter  how  large  these  were  or  how  ex- 
tortionate, they  were  always  paid  without  question  as 
soon  as  presented. 

Prom  all  this  it  may  be  gathered  that  our  Alaric  was 
not  a  child  of  poverty.  Nor  was  he  ;  for  Amos  Todd, 
his  father,  was  so  many  times  a  millionaire  that  he  was 
one  of  the  richest  men  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  owned 
or  controlled  a  bank,  railways,  steamships,  and  mines, 
great  ranches  in  the  South,  and  vast  tracts  of  timber 
lands  in  the  North.  His  manifold  interests  extended 
from  Alaska  to  Mexico,  from  the  Pacific  to  the  At- 
lantic ;  and  while  he  made  his  home  in  San  Fran- 


A    POOR   HIGH   BOY  3 

cisco  his  name  was  a  power  in  the  stock-exchanges  of 
the  world.  Years  before  he  and  his  young  wife  had 
made  their  way  to  California  from  New  England  with 
just  money  enough  to  pay  their  passage  to  the  Golden 
State.  Here  they  had  undergone  poverty  and  hard- 
ships such  as  they  determined  their  children  should 
never  know. 

Of  these  Margaret,  the  eldest,  was  now  a  leader  of 
San  Francisco  society,  while  John,  who  was  eight 
years  older  than  Alaric,  had  shown  such  an  aptitude 
for  business  that  he  had  risen  to  be  manager  of  his 
father's  bank.  There  were  other  children,  who  had 
died,  and  when  Alaric  came,  last  of  all,  he  was  such 
a  puny  infant  that  there  was  little  hope  of  his  ever 
growing  up.  Because  he  was  the  youngest  and  a 
weakling,  and  demanded  so  much  care,  his  mother 
devoted  her  life  to  him,  and  hovered  about  him  with 
a  loving  anxiety  that  sought  to  shield  him  from  all 
rude  contact  with  the  world.  He  was  always  un- 
der the  especial  care  of  some  doctor,  and  when  he 
was  five  or  six  years  old  one  of  these,  for  want  of 
something  more  definite  to  say,  announced  that  he 
feared  the  child  was  developing  a  weak  heart,  and 
advised  that  he  be  restrained  from  all  violent  ex- 
ercise. 

From  that  moment  poor  little  "Allie,"  as  he  had 
been  called  from  the  day  of  his  birth,  was  not  only 
kept  from  all  forms  of  violent  exercise  and  excite- 
ment, but  was  forbidden  to  play  any  boyish  games  as 
well.  In  place  of  these  his  doting  mother  travelled 
with  him  over  Continental  Europe,  going  from  one 
famous  medical  spring,  bath,  or  health  resort  to  an- 
other, and  bringing  up  her  boy  in  an  atmosphere  of 
luxury,  invalids,  and  doctors.  The  last-named  de- 
voted themselves  to  trying  to  find  out  what  was  the 
matter  with  him,  and  as  no  two  of  them  could  agree 


4  RICK    DALE 

upon  any  one  ailment,  Mrs.  Todd  came  to  regard  him 
as  a  prodigy  in  the  way  of  invalidism. 

Of  course  Alaric  was  never  sent  to  a  public  school, 
but  he  was  always  accompanied  by  tutors  as  well  as 
physicians,  and  spent  nearly  two  years  in  a  very  select 
private  school  or  pension  near  Paris.  Here  no  rude 
games  were  permitted,  and  the  only  exercise  allowed 
the  boys  was  a  short  daily  walk,  in  which,  under  escort 
of  masters,  they  marched  in  a  dreary  procession  of 
twos. 

During  all  these  years  of  travel  and  study  and 
search  after  health  Alaric  had  never  known  what  it 
was  to  wish  in  vain  for  anything  that  money  could 
buy.  Whatever  he  fancied  he  obtained  without  know- 
ing its  cost,  or  where  the  money  came  from  that  pro- 
cured it.  But  there  were  three  of  the  chief  things  in 
the  world  to  a  boy  that  he  did  not  have  and  that 
money  could  not  give  him.  He  had  no  boy  friends, 
no  boyish  games,  and  no  ambitions.  He  wanted  to 
have  all  these  things,  and  sometimes  said  so  to  his 
mother  ;  but  always  he  was  met  by  the  same  reproach- 
ful answer,  "  My  dear  Allie,  remember  your  poor  weak 
heart." 

At  length  it  happened  that  while  our  lad  was  in  that 
dreary  pension,  Mrs.  Todd,  worn  out  with  anxieties, 
cares,  and  worries  of  her  own  devising,  was  stricken 
with  a  fatal  malady,  and  died  in  the  great  chateau 
that  she  had  rented  not  far  from  the  school  in  which 
her  life's  treasure  was  so  carefully  guarded.  A  few 
days  of  bewilderment  and  heart-breaking  sorrow  fol- 
lowed for  poor  Alaric.  Many  cablegrams  flashed  to 
and  fro  beneath  the  ocean.  There  was  a  melancholy 
funeral,  at  which  the  boy  was  sole  mourner,  and  then 
one  phase  of  his  life  was  ended.  In  another  week  he 
had  left  France,  and,  escorted  by  one  of  his  French 
tutors,  was  crossing  the  Atlantic  on  his  way  to  the 


A    POOR   RICH   BOY  5 

far-distant  San  Francisco  home  of  which  he  knew  so 
little. 

He  had  now  been  at  home  for  nearly  three  months, 
and  of  all  his  sad  life  they  had  proved  the  most  un- 
happy period.  His  father,  though  always  kind  in  his 
way,  was  too  deeply  immersed  in  business  to  pay  much 
attention  to  the  sensitive  lad.  He  did  not  understand 
him,  and  regarded  him  as  a  weakling  who  could  never 
amount  to  anything  in  the  world  of  business  or  useful 
activity.  He  would  be  kind  to  the  boy,  of  course, 
and  any  desire  that  he  expressed  should  be  promptly 
gratified  ;  at  the  same  time  he  could  not  help  feeling 
that  Alaric  was  a  great  trial,  and  wishing  him  more 
like  his  brother  John. 

This  bustling,  dashing  elder  brother  had  no  sym- 
pathy with  Alaric,  and  rarely  found  time  to  give  him 
more  than  a  nod  and  a  word  of  greeting  in  passing, 
while  his  sister  Margaret  regarded  him  as  still  a  little 
boy  who  was  to  be  kept  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possi- 
ble. So  the  poor  lad,  left  to  himself,  without  friends 
and  without  occupation,  found  time  hanging  very 
heavily  on  his  hands,  and  wondered  why  he  had  ever 
been  born. 

Once  he  ventured  to  ask  his  father  for  a  saddle- 
horse,  whereupon  Amos  Todd  provided  him  with  a 
pair  of  ponies,  a  cart,  and  a  groom,  which  he  said 
was  an  outfit  better  suited  to  an  invalid.  Alaric  ac- 
cepted this  gift  without  a  protest,  for  he  was  well 
trained  to  bearing  disappointments,  but  he  used  it  so 
rarely  that  the  business  of  giving  the  horses  their 
daily  airing  devolved  almost  entirely  upon  the  groom. 

It  was  not  until  Esther  Dale,  one  of  the  New  Eng- 
land cousins  whom  he  had  never  seen,  and  a  girl  of 
his  own  age,  made  a  flying  visit  to  San  Francisco  as 
one  of  a  personally  conducted  party  of  tourists,  that 
Alaric  found  any  real  use  for  his  ponies.  Esther  was 


6  KICK   DALE 

only  to  remain  in  the  city  three  days,  but  she  spent 
them  in  her  uncle's  house,  which  she  refused  to  call 
anything  but  "the  palace,"  and  which  she  so  pervaded 
with  her  cheery  presence  that  Amos  Todd  declared  it 
seemed  full  of  singing  birds  and  sunshine. 

Both  Margaret  and  John  were  too  busy  to  pay  much 
attention  to  their  young  cousin,  and  so,  to  Alaric's  de- 
light, the  whole  duty  of  entertaining  her  devolved  on 
him.  He  felt  much  more  at  his  ease  with  girls  than 
with  boys,  for  he  had  been  thrown  so  much  more  into 
their  society  during  his  travels,  and  he  thought  he 
understood  them  thoroughly  ;  but  in  Esther  Dale  he 
found  a  girl  so  different  from  any  he  had  ever  known 
that  she  seemed  to  belong  to  another  order  of  beings. 
She  was  good-looking  and  perfectly  well-bred,  but  she 
was  also  as  full  of  life  and  frisky  antics  as  a  squirrel, 
and  as  tireless  as  a  bird  on  the  wing. 

On  the  first  morning  of  her  visit  the  cousins  drove 
out  to  the  Cliff  House  to  see  the  sea-lions ;  and  almost 
before  Alaric  knew  how  it  was  accomplished  he  found 
Esther  perched  on  the  high  right-hand  cushion  of  the 
box-seat  in  full  possession  of  reins  and  whip,  while  he 
occupied  the  lower  seat  on  her  left,  as  though  he  were 
the  guest  and  she  the  hostess  of  the  occasion.  At  the 
same  time  the  ponys  seemed  filled  with  an  unusual 
activity,  and  were  clattering  along  at  a  pace  more 
exhilarating  than  they  had  ever  shown  under  his 
guidance. 

After  that  Esther  always  drove  ;  and  Alaric,  sitting 
beside  her,  listened  with  wondering  admiration  to  her 
words  of  wisdom  and  practical  advice  on  all  sorts  of 
subjects.  She  had  never  been  abroad,  but  she  knew 
infinitely  more  of  her  own  country  than  he,  and  was 
so  enthusiastic  concerning  it  that  in  three  days'  time 
she  had  made  him  feel  prouder  of  being  an  American 
than  he  had  believed  it  possible  he  ever  would  be. 


A   POOR   RICH   BOY  7 

She  knew  so  much  concerning  ont-of-door  life,  too — 
about  animals  and  birds  and  games.  She  criticised 
the  play  of  the  baseball  nines,  whom  they  saw  one  af- 
ternoon in  Golden  Gate  Park  ;  and  when  they  came  to 
another  place  where  some  acquaintances  of  Alaric's 
were  playing  tennis,  she  asked  for  an  introduction  to 
the  best  girl  player  on  the  ground,  promptly  chal- 
lenged her  to  a  trial  of  skill,  and  beat  her  three 
straight  games. 

During  the  play  she  presented  such  a  picture  of 
glowing  health  and  graceful  activity  that  pale-faced 
Alaric  sat  and  watched  her  with  envious  admira- 
tion. 

"  I  would  give  anything  I  own  in  the  world  to  be 
able  to  play  tennis  as  you  can,  Cousin  Esther/'  he 
said,  earnestly,  after  it  was  all  over  and  they  were 
driving  from  the  park. 

"  Why  don't  you  learn,  then  ?"  asked  the  girl,  in 
surprise. 

"  Because  I  have  a  weak  heart,  you  know,  and  am 
forbidden  any  violent  exercise." 

The  boy  hesitated,  and  even  blushed,  as  he  said  this, 
though  he  had  never  done  either  of  those  things  before 
when  speaking  of  his  weak  heart.  In  fact,  he  had 
been  rather  proud  of  it,  and  considered  that  it  was  a 
very  interesting  thing  to  have.  Now,  however,  he 
felt  almost  certain  that  Esther  would  laugh  at  him. 

And  so  she  did.  She  laughed  until  Alaric  became 
red  in  the  face  from  vexation ;  but  when  she  noticed 
this  she  grew  very  sober,  and  said  : 

"Excuse  me,  Cousin  Rick.  I  didn't  mean  to  laugh  ; 
but  you  did  look  so  woe-begone  when  you  told  me 
about  your  poor  weak  heart,  and  it  seems  so  absurd 
for  a  big,  well-looking  boy  like  you  to  have  such  a 
thing,  that  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"I've  always  had  it,"  said  Alaric,  stoutly;  "and 


8  RICK    DALE 

that  is  the  reason  they  would  never  let  me  do  things 
like  other  boys.  It  might  kill  me  if  I  did,  you  know." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  kill  you  if  you  didn't, 
and  Fm  sure  I  would  rather  die  of  good  times  than 
just  sit  round  and  mope  to  death.  Now  I  don't  believe 
your  heart  is  any  weaker  than  mine  is.  You  don't  look 
so,  anyway,  and  if  I  were  you  I  would  just  go  in  for 
everything,  and  have  as  good  a  time  as  I  possibly 
could,  without  thinking  any  more  about  whether  my 
heart  was  weak  or  strong." 

"  But  they  won't  let  me,"  objected  Alaric. 

"Who  won't?" 

"Father  and  Margaret  and  John." 

"  I  don't  see  that  the  two  last  named  have  anything 
to  do  with  it.  As  for  Uncle  Amos,  I  am  sure  he 
would  rather  have  you  a  strong,  brown,  splendidly  built 
fellow,  such  as  you  might  become  if  you  only  would, 
than  the  white-faced,  dudish  Miss  Nancy  that  you  are. 
Oh,  Cousin  Rick  !  What  have  I  said  ?  I'm  awfully 
sorry  and  ashamed  of  myself.  Please  forgive  me." 


CHAPTER  II 
THE    RUNAWAY 

FOR  a  moment  it  seemed  to  Alaric  that  he  could 
not  forgive  that  thoughtlessly  uttered  speech.  And 
yet  the  girl  who  made  it  had  called  him  Cousin  "  Rick," 
a  name  he  had  always  desired,  but  which  no  one  had 
ever  given  him  before.  If  she  had  called  him  "  Allie," 
he  knew  he  would  never  have  forgiven  her.  As  it  was 
he  hesitated,  and  his  pale  face  flushed  again.  What 
should  he  say  ? 

In  her  contrition  and  eagerness  to  atone  for  her 
cruel  words  Esther  leaned  towards  him  and  laid  a 
beseeching  hand  on  his  arm.  For  the  moment  she 
forgot  her  responsibility  as  driver,  and  the  reins,  held 
loosely  in  her  whip-hand,  lay  slack  across  the  pomes' 
backs. 

Just  then  a  newspaper  that  had  been  carelessly 
dropped  in  the  roadway  was  picked  up  by  a  sudden 
gust  of  wind  and  whirled  directly  into  the  faces  of  the 
spirited  team.  The  next  instant  they  were  dashing 
madly  down  the  street.  At  the  outset  the  reins  were 
jerked  from  Esther's  hand;  but  ere  they  could  slip 
down  beyond  reach  Alaric  had  seized  them.  Then, 
with  the  leathern  bands  wrapped  about  his  wrists,  he 
threw  his  whole  weight  back  on  them,  and  strove  to 
check  or  at  least  to  guide  the  terrified  animals. 
The  light  cart  bounded  and  swayed  from  side  to  side. 
Men  shouted  and  women  screamed,  and  a  clanging 
cable-car  from  a  cross  street  was  saved  from  collision 


10  RICK   DALE 

only  by  the  prompt  efforts  of  its  gripman.  The  road- 
way was  becoming  more  and  more  crowded  with  teams 
and  pedestrians.  Alaric's  teeth  were  clinched,  and  he 
was  bareheaded,  having  lost  his  hat  as  he  caught  the 
reins.  Esther  sat  beside  him,  motionless  and  silent, 
but  with  bloodless  cheeks. 

They  were  on  an  avenue  that  led  to  the  heart  of  the 
city.  On  one  side  was  a  hill,  up  which  cross  streets 
climbed  steeply.  To  keep  on  as  they  were  going  meant 
certain  destruction.  All  the  strain  that  Alaric  could 
bring  to  bear  on  the  reins  did  not  serve  to  check  the 
headlong  speed  of  the  hard-mouthed  ponies.  With 
each  instant  their  blind  terror  seemed  to  increase. 
Several  side  streets  leading  up  the  hill  had  already 
been  passed,  and  another  was  close  at  hand.  Beyond 
it  was  a  mass  of  teams  and  cable- cars. 

"  Hold  on  for  your  life  \"  panted  Alaric  in  the  ear 
of  the  girl  who  sat  beside  him. 

As  he  spoke  he  dropped  one  rein,  threw  all  his 
weight  on  the  other,  and  at  the  same  instant  brought 
the  whip  down  with  a  stinging  cut  on  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  off  horse.  The  frenzied  animal  instinc- 
tively sprang  to  the  left,  both  yielded  to  the  heavy  tug 
of  that  rein,  and  the  team  was  turned  into  the  side 
street.  The  cart  slewed  across  the  smooth  asphalt, 
lunged  perilously  to  one  side,  came  within  a  hairV 
breadth  of  upsetting,  and  then  righted.  Two  seconds 
later  the  mad  fright  of  the  ponies  was  checked  by  pure 
exhaustion  half-way  up  the  steep  hill-side.  There  they 
stood  panting  and  trembling,  while  a  crowd  of  excited 
spectators  gathered  about  them  with  offers  of  assist- 
ance and  advice. 

"  Do  they  seem  to  be  all  right  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

"  All  right,  sir,  far  as  I  can  see/'  replied  one  of  the 
men,  who  was  examining  the  quivering  animals  and 
their  harness. 


THE   RUNAWAY  11 

"  Then  if  you  will  kindly  help  me  turn  them  around, 
and  will  lead  them  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  I  think  they 
will  be  quiet  enough  to  drive  on  without  giving  any 
more  trouble,"  said  the  boy. 

When  this  was  done,  and  Alaric,  after  cordially  thank- 
ing those  who  had  aided  him,  had  driven  away,  one  of 
the  men  exclaimed,  as  he  gazed  after  the  vanishing 
carriage : 

"  Plucky  young  chap  that  I" 

" Yes,"  replied  another;  "and  doesn't  seem  to  be  a 
bit  of  a  snob,  like  most  of  them  wealthy  fellows, either." 

Meanwhile  Alaric  was  tendering  the  reins  to  the 
girl  who  had  sat  so  quietly  by  his  side  without  an  out- 
cry or  a  word  of  suggestion  during  the  whole  exciting 
episode. 

"  Won't  you  drive  now,  Cousin  Esther  ?" 

"  Indeed  I  will  not,  Alaric.  I  feel  ashamed  of  my- 
self for  presuming  to  take  the  reins  from  you  before, 
and  you  may  be  certain  that  I  shall  never  attempt  to 
do  such  a  thing  again.  The  way  you  managed  the 
whole  affair  was  simply  splendid.  And  oh,  Cousin 
Rick  !  to  think  that  I  should  have  called  you  a  Miss 
Nancy  !  Just  as  you  were  about  to  save  my  life,  too  I 
I  can  never  forgive  myself — never." 

"  Oh  yes  you  can,"  laughed  Alaric,  "  for  it  is  true — 
that  is,  it  was  true ;  for  I  can  see  now  that  I  have  been 
a  regular  Miss  Nancy  sort  of  a  fellow  all  my  life.  That 
is  what  made  me  feel  so  badly  when  you  said  it. 
Nobody  ever  dared  tell  me  before,  and  so  it  came  as 
an  unpleasant  surprise.  Now,  though,  I  am  glad  you 
said  it." 

"And  you  will  never  give  anybody  in  the  whole 
world  a  chance  to  say  such  a  thing  again,  will  you  ?" 
asked  the  girl,  eagerly.  "  And  you  will  go  right  to 
work  at  learning  how  to  do  the  things  that  other  boys 
do,  won't  you  ?" 


12  HICK    DALE 

"  I  don't  know/'  answered  Alaric,  doubtfully.  "  I'd 
like  to  well  enough ;  but  I  don't  know  just  how  to 
begin.  You  see,  I'm  too  old  to  learn  from  the  little 
boys,  and  the  big  fellows  won't  have  anything  to  do 
with  such  a  duffer  as  I  am.  They've  all  heard  too 
much  about  my  weak  heart." 

"Then  I'd  go  away  to  some  place  where  nobody 
knows  you,  and  make  a  fresh  start.  You  might  go  out 
on  one  of  your  father's  ranches  and  learn  to  be  a  cow- 
boy, or  up  into  those  great  endless  forests  that  I  saw 
on  Puget  Sound  the  other  day  and  live  in  a  logging 
camp.  It  is  such  a  glorious,  splendid  life,  and  there 
is  so  much  to  be  done  up  in  that  country.  Oh  dear  ! 
if  I  were  only  a  boy,  and  going  to  be  a  man,  wouldn't 
I  get  there  just  as  quickly  as  I  could,  and  learn  how 
to  do  things,  so  that  when  I  grew  up  I  could  go  right 
ahead  and  do  them  ?" 

"All  that  sounds  well," said  Alaric,  dubiously,  "but 
I  know  father  will  never  let  me  go  to  any  such  places. 
He  thinks  such  a  life  would  kill  me.  Besides,  he  says 
that  as  I  shall  never  have  to  work,  there  is  no  need  for 
me  to  learn  how." 

"  But  you  must  work,"  responded  Esther,  stoutly. 
"Every  one  must,  or  else  be  very  unhappy.  Papa 
says  that  the  happiest  people  in  the  world  are  those 
who  work  the  hardest  when  it  is  time  for  work  and 
play  the  hardest  in  play -time.  But  where  are  you 
driving  to  ?  This  isn't  the  way  home." 

"I  am  going  to  get  a  new  hat  and  gloves,"  an- 
swered the  boy,  "for  I  don't  want  any  one  at  the 
house  to  know  of  our  runaway.  They'd  never  let  me 
drive  the  ponies  again  if  they  found  it  out." 

( '  It  would  be  a  shame  if  they  didn't,  after  the  way 
you  handled  them  just  now,"  exclaimed  Esther,  in- 
dignantly. 

Just  then  they  stopped  before  a  fashionable  hat-store 


THE  RUNAWAY  13 

on  Kearney  Street,  and  while  Alaric  was  debating 
whether  he  ought  to  leave  the  ponies  long  enough  to 
step  inside  he  was  recognized,  and  a  clerk  hastened 
out  to  receive  his  order. 

"Hat  and  gloves/'  said  Alaric.  "You  know  the 
sizes." 

The  clerk  answered,  "Certainly,  Mr.  Todd,"  bowed, 
and  disappeared  in  the  store. 

"  See  those  lovely  gray '  Tarns '  in  the  window,  Cousin 
Rick  I"  said  Esther.  "  Why  don't  you  get  one  of 
them  ?  It  would  be  just  the  thing  to  wear  in  the 
woods." 

"  All  right,"  replied  the  boy  ;  "  I  will." 

So  when  the  clerk  reappeared  with  a  stylish  derby 
hat  and  a  dozen  pair  of  gloves  Alaric  put  the  former 
on,  said  he  would  keep  the  gloves,  and  at  the  same 
time  requested  that  one  of  the  gray  Tarns  might  be 
done  up  for  him. 

As  this  order  was  filled,  and  the  ponies  were  headed 
towards  home,  Esther  said:  "Why,  Cousin  Rick,  you 
didn't  pay  for  your  things  !" 

"  No,"  replied  the  boy,  "  I  never  do." 

"  You  didn't  even  ask  the  prices,  either." 

" Of  course  not,"  laughed  the  other.  "Why should 
I  ?  They  were  things  that  I  had  to  have  anyway, 
and  so  what  would  be  the  use  of  asking  the  prices  ? 
Besides,  I  don't  think  I  ever  did  such  a  thing  in  my 
life." 

"  Well,"  sighed  the  girl,  "  it  must  be  lovely  to  shop 
in  that  way.  Now  I  never  bought  anything  without 
first  finding  out  if  I  could  afford  it ;  and  as  for  gloves, 
I  know  I  never  bought  more  than  one  pair  at  a  time." 

"  Really  ?"  said  Alaric,  with  genuine  surprise.  "  I 
didn't  know  they  sold  less  than  a  dozen  pair  at  a  time. 
I  wish  I  had  known  it,  for  I  only  wanted  one  pair. 
I've  got  so  many  at  home  now  that  they  are  a  bother," 


H  RICK   DALE 

That  very  evening  the  lad  spoke  to  his  father  about 
going  on  a  ranch  and  learning  to  be  a  cowboy.  Un- 
fortunately his  brother  John  overheard  him,  and 
greeted  the  proposition  with  shouts  of  laughter. 
Even  Amos  Todd,  while  mildly  rebuking  his  eldest 
son,  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  absurdity  of  the 
request.  Then,  turning  to  the  mortified  lad,  he  said, 
kindly  but  decidedly : 

"  You  don't  know  what  you  are  asking,  Allie,  my 
boy,  and  I  couldn't  think  for  a  moment  of  allowing 
you  to  attempt  such  a  thing.  The  excitement  of  that 
kind  of  life  would  kill  you  in  less  than  no  time.  Ask 
anything  in  reason,  and  I  shall  be  only  too  happy  to 
gratify  you  ;  but  don't  make  foolish  requests." 

When  Alaric  reported  this  failure  to  Esther  a  little 
later,  she  said,  very  gravely  : 

"Then,  Cousin  Rick,  there  is  only  one  thing  left 
for  you  to  do.  You  must  run  away." 


CHAPTER  III 
ALARIC  TAKES   A   FIRST   LESSON 

ON  the  day  following  that  of  the  runaway,  Esther 
Dale  resumed  her  position  as  a  personally  conducted 
tourist,  and  departed  from  San  Francisco,  leaving 
Alaric  to  feel  that  he  had  lost  the  first  real  friend  he 
had  ever  known.  Her  influence  remained  with  him, 
however,  and  as  he  thought  of  her  words  and  example 
his  determination  to  enter  upon  some  different  form 
of  life  became  indelibly  fixed. 

That  very  day  he  drove  again  to  the  park,  this  time 
with  only  his  groom  for  company,  and  went  directly 
to  the  place  where  the  game  of  baseball  had  been  in 
progress  the  afternoon  before.  As  he  hoped,  another 
was  about  to  begin,  though  there  were  not  quite 
enough  players  to  make  two  full  nines.  Hearing  one 
of  the  boys  say  this,  and  discovering  an  acquaintance 
among  them,  Alaric  jumped  from  his  cart,  and,  going 
up  to  him,  asked  to  be  allowed  to  fill  one  of  the  vacant 
positions. 

Reg  Barker  was  freckle-faced  and  red-headed,  clad 
in  flannels,  with  sleeves  rolled  up  to  his  elbows,  and 
was  adjusting  a  catcher's  mask  to  his  face  when  Alaric 
approached.  As  the  latter  made  known  his  desire, 
Reg  Barker,  who  was  extremely  jealous  of  the  other's 
wealth  and  fame  as  a  traveller,  regarded  him  for  a 
moment  with  amazement,  and  then  burst  into  a  shout 
of  laughter. 

"Hi,  fellows !"  he  called,  "here  is  a  good  one — 


16  RICK   DALE 

best  I  ever  heard  !  Here's  Allie  Todd,  kid  gloves  and 
all,  wants  to  play  first  base.  What  do  you  say — shall 
we  give  him  a  show  ?" 

"  Yes,"  shouted  one  ;  "  No,"  cried  another,  as  the 
boys  crowded  about  the  two,  gazing  at  Alaric  curi- 
ously, as  though  he  belonged  to  some  different  spe- 
cies. 

"  We  might  make  him  captain  of  the  nine,"  called 
out  one  boy,  who  had  just  gone  to  the  bat. 

"No,  he'd  do  better  as  umpire,"  suggested  Reg 
Barker.  "  Don't  you  see  he's  dressed  for  it  ?  I  don't 
know,  though ;  I'm  afraid  that  would  come  under  the 
head  of  cruelty  to  children,  and  we'd  have  the  society 
down  on  us." 

As  Alaric,  with  a  crimson  face  and  a  choking  in  his 
throat,  sought  in  vain  for  some  outlet  of  escape  from 
his  tormentors  who  surrounded  him,  and  at  the  same 
time  longed  with  a  bitter  longing  for  the  power  to 
annihilate  them,  a  lad  somewhat  older  than  the  others 
forced  his  way  through  the  throng  and  demanded  to 
know  what  was  the  row.  He  was  Dave  Carncross,  the 
pitcher,  and  one  of  the  best  amateur  players  of  his 
age  on  the  coast. 

"It's  Miss  Allie  Todd,"  explained  Reg  Barker,  "and 
her  ladyship  is  offering  to  show  us  how  to  play  ball." 

"  Shut  up,  Red  Top,"  commanded  the  new-comer, 
threateningly.  "  When  I  want  any  of  your  chaff  I'll 
let  you  know."  Then  turning  to  Alaric,  he  said, 
pleasantly,  "Now,  young  un,  tell  me  all  about  it 
yourself." 

"  There  isn't  much  to  tell,"  replied  the  boy,  in  a 
low  tone,  and  with  an  instinctive  warming  of  his  heart 
towards  the  sturdy  lad  who  had  come  to  his  rescue. 
"I  wanted  to  learn  how  to  play  ball,  and  knowing 
Reg  Barker,  asked  him  to  teach  me ;  that's  all." 

"  And  he  insulted  you,  like  the  young  brute  he  is. 


ALARIC   TAKES   A    FIRST   LESSON  17 

I  see.  Red  Top,  if  yon  won't  learn  manners  any  other 
way  I  shall  have  to  thrash  them  into  you.  So  look 
out  for  yourself.  Now,  you  new  fellow,  your  name's 
Todd,  isn't  it  ?" 

"Yes." 

"And  your  father  is  Amos  Todd,  the  millionaire  ?" 

Alaric  admitted  that  such  was  the  case. 

"Well,  I  know  you,  or,  rather,  my  father  knows 
your  father.  In  fact,  I  think  they  have  some  business 
together ;  and  after  this  whenever  you  choose  to  come 
out  here  if  I'm  around  I'll  see  that  you  are  treated 
decently.  As  for  learning  to  play  ball,  the  mere  fact 
that  you  want  to  shows  that  you  are  made  of  good 
stuff,  and  I  don't  mind  giving  you  a  lesson  right 
now.  So,  stand  out  here,  and  let's  see  if  you  can 
catch." 

Thus  saying,  the  stalwart  young  pitcher,  who  held 
a  ball  in  his  hand,  ran  back  a  few  rods,  and,  with  a 
seemingly  careless  swing  of  his  arm,  threw  the  ball 
straight  and  swift  as  an  arrow  directly  at  Alaric,  who 
instinctively  held  out  his  hands. 

Had  he  undertaken  to  stop  a  spent  cannon-ball  the 
boy  could  hardly  have  been  more  amazed  at  the  result. 
As  the  ball  dropped  to  the  ground  he  felt  as  though 
he  had  grasped  a  handful  of  red-hot  coals.  Both  his 
kid  gloves  were  split  right  across  the  palms,  and  the 
smart  of  his  hands  was  so  great  that,  in  spite  of  his 
efforts  to  restrain  them,  unbidden  tears  sprang  to  his 
eyes. 

A  shout  of  laughter  arose  from  the  spectators  of 
this  practical  lesson  ;  but  Dave  Carncross,  running  up 
to  him  and  recovering  the  dropped  ball,  said,  cheer- 
ily:  "  Never  mind  those  duffers,  young  un.  They 
couldn't  do  any  better  themselves  once,  and  you'll  do 
better  than  any  of  them  some  time.  First  lessons  in 
experience  always  come  high,  and  have  to  be  paid  for 


18  EICK   DALE 

on  the  spot  ;  but  they  are  worth  the  price,  and  you'll 
know  better  next  time  than  to  stop  a  hot  ball  with 
stiff  arms.  What  you  want  to  do  is  to  let  'em  give 
with  the  ball.  See,  like  this." 

Here  Dave  picked  up  a  bat,  struck  the  ball  straight 
up  in  the  air  until  it  seemed  to  be  going  out  of  sight, 
and  running  under  it  as  it  descended,  caught  it  as 
deftly  and  gently  as  though  it  had  been  a  wad  of 
feathers. 

"There,"  said  he,  "you  have  learned  by  experi- 
ence the  wrong  way  of  catching  a  ball,  and  seen  the 
right  way.  I  can't  stop  to  teach  you  any  more  now,  for 
our  game  is  waiting.  What  you  want  to  do,  though, 
is  to  go  down  town  and  get  a  ball — a  'regulation 
dead,'  mind — take  it  home,  and  practise  catching  un- 
til you  have  learned  the  trick  and  covered  your  hands 
with  blisters.  Then  come  back  here,  and  I  will  show 
you  something  else.  Good-bye — so  long  !" 

With  this  the  good-natured  fellow  ran  off  to  take 
his  place  in  the  pitcher's  box,  leaving  Alaric  filled 
with  gratitude,  and  glowing  with  the  first  thrill  of 
real  boyish  life  that  he  had  ever  known.  For  a  while 
he  stood  and  watched  the  game,  his  still-tingling 
hands  causing  him  to  appreciate  as  never  before  the 
beauty  of  every  successful  catch  that  was  made.  He 
wondered  if  pitching  a  ball  could  be  as  difficult  as 
catching  one,  or  even  any  harder  than  it  looked.  It 
certainly  appeared  easy  enough.  He  admired  the 
reckless  manner  in  which  the  players  flung  themselves 
at  the  bases,  sliding  along  the  ground  as  though  bent 
on  ploughing  it  with  their  noses  ;  while  the  ability  to 
hit  one  of  those  red-hot  balls  with  a  regulation  bat 
seemed  to  him  little  short  of  marvellous.  In  fact, 
our  lad  was,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  viewing  a 
game  of  baseball  through  his  newly  discovered  loop- 
hole of  experience,  and  finding  it  a  vastly  different  af- 


ALAKIC  TAKES  A   FIRST  LESSON  19 

fair  from  the  same  scene  shrouded  by  an  unrent  veil 
of  ignorance. 

After  he  had  driven  away  from  the  fascinating 
game,  his  mind  was  still  so  full  of  it  that  when,  in 
passing  the  children's  playground,  he  was  invited  by 
Miss  Sue  Barker,  sister  of  red-headed  Reg,  to  join  in 
a  game  of  croquet,  he  declined,  politely  enough,  but 
with  such  an  unwonted  tone  of  contempt  in  his  voice 
as  caused  the  girl  to  stare  after  him  in  amazement. 

He  procured  a  regulation  baseball  before  going 
home,  and  then  practised  with  it  in  the  court-yard 
behind  the  Todd  palace  until  his  hands  were  red  and 
swollen.  Their  condition  was  so  noticeable  at  dinner- 
time that  his  father  inquired  into  the  cause.  When 
the  boy  confessed  that  he  had  been  practising  with  a 
baseball,  his  brother  John  laughed  loud  and  long,  and 
asked  him  if  he  intended  to  become  a  professional. 

His  sister  only  said,  "  Oh,  Allie  !  How  can  you 
care  to  do  anything  so  common  ?  And  where  did  you 
pick  up  the  notion  ?  I  am  sure  you  never  saw  any- 
thing of  the  kind  in  France." 

"No,"  replied  the  boy  ;  "  I  only  wish  I  had." 

His  father  said,  "  It's  all  right,  my  son,  so  long  as 
you  play  gently ;  but  you  must  be  very  careful  not  to 
over -exert  yourself.  Remember  your  poor  weak 
heart  and  the  consequences  of  too  violent  exercise." 

"  Oh,  bother  my  weak  heart !"  cried  the  boy,  impa- 
tiently. "I  don't  believe  my  heart's  any  weaker 
than  anybody  else's  heart,  and  the  doctor  who  said  so 
was  an  old  muff." 

At  this  unheard-of  outbreak  on  the  part  of  the 
long-suffering  youngest  member  of  the  family,  John 
and  Margaret  glanced  significantly  at  each  other,  as 
though  they  suspected  his  mind  was  becoming  affected 
as  well  as  his  body  ;  while  his  father  said,  soothingly, 
as  though  to  an  ailing  child  : 


20  KICK   DALE 

"  Well,  well,  Allie,  let  it  go.  I  am  sorry  that  you 
should  forget  your  manners;  but  if  the  subject  is  dis- 
tasteful to  you,  we  won't  talk  of  it  any  more." 
,  "  But  I  want  to  talk  of  it,  father.  I  am  sorry  that 
I  spoke  as  I  did  just  now ;  but  you  can't  know  what 
an  unhappy  thing  it  is  to  be  living  on  in  the  way  I 
am,  without  doing  anything  that  amounts  to  anything, 
or  will  ever  lead  to  anything.  Won't  you  let  me  go 
on  to  a  ranch,  or  somewhere  where  I  can  learn  to  be  a 
man  ?" 

"Of  course,  my  boy,"  replied  Amos  Todd,  still 
speaking  as  soothingly  as  he  knew  how.  "  I  will  let 
you  go  anywhere  you  please,  and  do  what  you  please, 
just  as  quickly  as  I  can  find  the  right  person  to  take 
care  of  you,  and  see  that  you  do  nothing  injurious. 
How  would  you  like  to  go  to  France  with  Margaret 
and  me  this  summer  ?  I  am  thinking  of  making  the 
trip." 

"  I  would  rather  go  to  China,  or  anywhere  else  in 
the  world,"  replied  the  boy,  vehemently.  "I  am  tired 
to  death  of  France  and  Germany  and  Switzerland  and 
Italy,  and  all  the  other  wretched  European  places, 
with  their  bads  and  bains  and  spas  and  Herr  Doctors 
and  malades.  I  want  to  go  into  a  world  of  live  peo- 
ple, and  strong  people,  and  people  who  don't  know 
whether  they  have  any  hearts  or  not,  and  don't  care." 

"  Well,  well,  son,  I  will  try  and  arrange  something 
for  you,  only  don't  get  excited,"  said  Amos  Todd,  at 
the  same  time  burying  himself  in  his  evening  paper 
so  as  to  put  an  end  to  the  uncomfortable  interview. 

In  spite  of  the  unsatisfactory  ending  of  this  conver- 
sation, Alaric  felt  greatly  encouraged  by  it,  and  during 
the  week  that  followed  he  devoted  himself  as  assidu- 
ously to  learning  to  catch  a  baseball  as  though  that 
were  the  one  preparation  needful  for  plunging  into  a 
world  of  live  people.  Morning,  noon,  and  evening  he 


ALAKIC  TAKES  A   FIRST  LESSON  21 

kept  his  groom  so  busy  passing  ball  with  him  that  the 
exercising  of  the  ponies  was  sadly  neglected  in  conse- 
quence. With  all  this  practice,  and  in  spite  of  bruised 
hands  and  lame  fingers,  he  at  length  became  so  expert 
that  he  began  to  think  of  hunting  up  his  friend  Dave 
Carncross,  and  presenting  himself  for  an  examination 
in  the  art  of  ball-catching. 

Every  now  and  then  he  asked  his  father  if  he  had 
not  thought  of  some  plan  for  him,  and  the  invariable 
answer  was  :  "  It's  all  right,  Allie  ;  Fve  got  a  scheme 
on  foot  that's  working  so  that  I  can  tell  you  about  it 
in  a  few  days." 

In  the  meantime  the  date  of  Amos  Todd's  depart- 
ure for  Europe  with  his  daughter  was  fixed.  Shortly 
before  its  arrival  the  former  called  Alaric  aside,  and, 
with  a  beaming  face,  announced  that  he  had  at  length 
succeeded  in  making  most  satisfactory  arrangements. 
"  You  said  you  wanted  to  go  to  China,  you  know/'  he 
continued ;  "  so  I  have  laid  out  a  fine  trip  for  you  to 
China,  and  India,  and  Egypt,  and  all  sorts  of  places, 
and  persuaded  a  most  excellent  couple,  a  gentleman 
and  his  wife,  to  go  along  and  take  care  of  you.  He 
is  a  professor  and  she  is  a  doctor,  so  you  will  be  well 
looked  after,  and  won't  have  the  least  bit  of  responsi- 
bility or  worry." 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  "EMPRESS"  LOSES  A  PASSENGER 

PROFESSOR  MAXIMUS  SONNTAGG,  a  big  man  with  a 
beard,  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Dr.  Ophelia  Sonntagg,  who 
was  thin  and  mysterious,  had  come  out  of  the  East  to 
seek  their  fortunes  in  the  Golden  City  about  a  year 
before,  but  up  to  this  time  without  any  great  amount  of 
success.  The  former  was  a  professor  of  almost  every- 
thing in  the  shape  of  ancient  and  modern  art,  lan- 
guages, history,  and  a  lot  of  other  things,  concerning 
all  of  which  he  wrote  articles  for  the  papers,  always 
signing  his  name  to  them  in  full.  The  Mrs.  Doctor  had 
learned  the  art  of  saying  little,  looking  wise,  and  shak- 
ing her  head  as  she  felt  the  pulse  of  her  patients. 

These  people  had  managed  to  scrape  an  acquaint- 
ance with  Amos  Todd,  whom  the  Professor  declared 
to  be  the  only  patron  of  art  in  San  Francisco  worth 
knowing,  and  to  whom  he  gave  some  really  valuable 
advice  concerning  the  purchase  of  certain  paintings. 
Thus  it  happened  that  when  the  busy  millionaire,  in 
seeking  to  provide  a  safe  and  congenial  amusement 
for  the  son  whom  he  firmly  believed  to  be  an  invalid, 
conceived  the  idea  of  sending  him  around  the  world 
by  way  of  China,  he  also  thought  of  the  Sonntaggs  as 
most  suitable  travelling  companions  for  him.  Where 
else  could  he  find  such  a  combination  of  tutor  and 
physician,  a  man  of  the  world  to  take  his  place  as 
father,  and  a  cultivated  woman  to  act  as  mother  to 
his  motherless  boy  ? 


THE  "EMPRESS      LOSES  A   PASSENGER  28 

When  he  proposed  the  plan  to  the  Sonntaggs,  they 
declared  that  they  would  not  think  of  giving  up  the 
prosperous  business  they  had  established  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, even  for  the  sake  of  obliging  their  dear  friend 
Mr.  Amos  Todd.  With  this  the  millionaire  made 
them  an  offer  of  such  unheard-of  munificence  that, 
with  pretended  reluctance,  they  finally  accepted  it,  and 
he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

The  next  evening  the  Sonntaggs  dined  at  Amos 
Todd's  house  for  the  purpose  of  making  Alaric's  ac- 
quaintance. The  Professor  patted  him  on  the  shoul- 
der, and,  in  a  patronizing  manner,  hoped  they  should 
learn  much  and  enjoy  much  together.  The  Mrs. 
Doctor  surveyed  him  critically,  and  held  his  hand  until 
the  boy  wondered  if  she  would  ever  let  it  go.  Finally 
she  shook  her  head,  sighed  deeply,  and,  turning  to  his 
father,  said : 

"I  understand  the  dear  boy's  case  thoroughly. 
What  he  needs  is  intelligent  treatment  and  motherly 
care.  I  can  give  him  both,  and  unhesitatingly  prom- 
ise to  restore  him  to  you  at  the  end  of  a  year,  if  noth- 
ing occurs  to  prevent,  strong,  well,  and  an  ornament 
to  the  name  of  Todd." 

Alaric  found  no  difficulty  in  forming  an  opinion  of 
the  Sonntaggs,  and  wondered  if  going  to  France  with 
his  father  and  sister  would  not  be  preferable  to  travel- 
ling in  their  company.  So  occupied  was  he  with  this 
question  that  he  hardly  ate  a  mouthful  of  the  sumptu- 
ous dinner  served  in  honor  of  the  guests — a  fact  that 
was  noted  with  significant  glances  by  all  at  the  table. 

It  was  planned  that  very  evening  that  the  Pacific 
should  be  crossed  in  one  of  the  superb  steamships 
sailing  from  Vancouver,  in  British  Columbia,  and  a 
despatch  was  sent  off  at  once  to  engage  staterooms. 
The  journey  was  to  be  begun  two  days  later,  for  that  was 
the  date  on  which  Amos  Todd  and  his  daughter  were 


24  RICK    DALE 

to  start  for  France ;  and  though  the  Empress  would  not 
sail  from  Vancouver  for  a  week  after  that,  the  house 
would  be  closed,  and  it  was  thought  best  for  Alaric  to 
travel  up  the  coast  by  easy  stages. 

During  those  two  days  of  grace  the  poor  lad's  mind 
was  in  a  ferment.  He  had  no  desire  to  go  to  China 
or  anywhere  else  outside  of  his  own  country.  Having 
travelled  nearly  all  his  life,  he  was  so  tired  of  it  that 
travelling  now  seemed  to  him  one  of  the  most  unpleas- 
ant things  a  boy  could  be  compelled  to  undertake.  He 
did  not  want  to  go  to  France,  of  course,  and  decided 
that  even  China  in  company  with  the  Sonntaggs  would 
be  better  than  Europe. 

Still,  he  tried  to  escape  from  going  away  at  all,  and 
asked  his  brother  John  to  let  him  stay  with  him  and 
go  to  work  in  the  bank ;  but  John  Todd  answered 
that  he  was  too  busy  a  man  to  have  the  care  of  an  in- 
valid, and  that  their  father's  plan  was  by  far  the  best. 
Then,  as  a  last  resort,  Alaric  went  to  the  park,  hoping 
to  meet  Dave  Carncross,  and  determined,  if  he  did,  to 
lay  the  whole  case  before  him,  and  ask  his  advice. 
Even  here  fate  seemed  against  him  ;  for,  from  a  strange 
boy  of  whom  he  made  inquiry,  he  learned  that  Carn- 
cross had  left  the  city  a  day  or  two  before,  though 
where  he  had  gone  the  boy  did  not  know. 

So  preparations  for  the  impending  journey  went 
busily  forward,  and  Alaric,  who  felt  very  much  like  a 
helpless  victim  of  misfortune,  could  find  no  excuse 
for  delaying  them.  Even  in  the  preparations  being 
made  for  his  own  comfort  he  was  given  no  active 
part.  Everything  that  he  was  supposed  to  need  and 
did  not  already  possess  was  procured  for  him.  His 
father  presented  him  with  a  superb  travelling-bag,  fit- 
ted with  all  possible  toilet  accessories  in  silver  and 
cut  glass,  but  the  boy  would  infinitely  have  preferred 
a  baseball  bat,  and  a  chance  to  use  it. 


LOSES   A   PASSENGER  25 

At  length  the  day  for  starting  arrived,  and,  with  as 
great  reluctance  as  he  had  ever  felt  in  his  life,  Alaric 
entered  the  carriage  that  was  to  convey  the  Todds  to 
the  Oakland  ferry.  Crossing  the  bay,  they  found  the 
Sonntaggs  awaiting  them  on  the  other  side,  where  the 
whole  party  entered  Amos  Todd's  palatial  private  car 
that  was  attached  to  the  Overland  Express.  In  this 
way  they  travelled  together  as  far  as  Sacramento, 
where  Alaric  bade  his  father  and  sister  good-bye. 
Then  he  and  his  newly  appointed  guardians  boarded 
the  special  car  provided  for  them,  and  in  which  they 
were  to  proceed  by  the  famous  Shasta  route  to  the  far 
North. 

Up  to  this  point  the  Sonntaggs  had  proved  very  at- 
tentive, and  had  striven  by  every  means  to  make  them- 
selves agreeable  to  their  fellow  -  travellers.  From 
here  on,  however,  the  Professor  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  smoking  and  sleeping,  while  his  wife  devoted 
herself  to  reading  novels,  a  great  stack  of  which  had 
been  provided  for  the  journey.  Alaric,  thus  left  to 
his  own  devices,  gazed  drearily  from  the  car  window, 
rebelling  inwardly  at  the  lonely  grandeur  with  which 
he  was  surrounded,  and  wishing  with  all  his  heart 
that  he  were  poor  enough  to  be  allowed  to  travel  in  one 
of  the  ordinary  coaches,  in  which  were  several  boys  of 
his  own  age,  who  seemed  to  be  having  a  tantalizingly 
good  time.  They  were  clad  in  flannels,  knicker- 
bockers, and  heavy  walking-shoes,  and  Alaric  noted 
with  satisfaction  that  they  wore  gray  Tarn  o'  Shan- 
ter  caps,  such  as  he  had  procured  at  Esther  Dale's 
suggestion,  and  was  now  wearing  for  the  first 
time. 

They  left  the  train  at  Sisson,  and  Alaric,  standing 
on  the  platform  of  his  car,  gathered  from  their  con- 
versation that  they  were  about  to  climb  Mount 
Shasta,  the  superb  rock  -  ribbed  giant  that  lifted  his 


26  KICK   DALE 

snow-crowned  head  more  than  fourteen  thousand  feet 
in  the  air  a  few  miles  from  that  point.  What 
wouldn't  he  give  to  be  allowed  to  join  the  merry 
party  and  make  the  adventurous  trip  with  them  ? 
He  had  been  familiar  with  mountains  by  sight  all  his 
life,  and  had  always  longed  to  climb  one,  but  had 
never  been  given  the  opportunity. 

It  was  small  consolation  to  notice  one  of  the  boys 
draw  the  attention  of  the  others  to  him,  and  over- 
hear him  say :  "  Look  at  that  chap  travelling  in  a 
special  car  like  a  young  millionaire.  I  say,  fellows, 
that  must  be  great  fun,  and  I'd  like  to  try  it  just  for 
once,  wouldn't  you  ?" 

The  others  agreed  that  they  would,  and  then  the 
group  passed  out  of  hearing,  while  Alaric  said  to  him- 
self :  "I  only  wish  they  could  try  travelling  all  alone 
in  a  special  car,  just  to  find  out  how  little  fun  there 
is  in  it." 

The  following  morning  Portland,  Oregon,  was 
reached,  and  here  the  car  was  side-tracked  that  its 
occupants  might  spend  a  day  or  two  in  the  city.  The 
Sonntaggs  seemed  to  have  many  acquaintances  here, 
for  whom  they  held  a  reception  in  the  car,  gave  a 
dinner  at  the  Hotel  Portland,  and  ordered  carriages 
in  which  to  drive  about,  all  at  Amos  Todd's  expense. 
In  these  diversions  Alaric  was  at  liberty  to  join  or  not, 
as  he  pleased,  and  he  generally  preferred  to  remain  be- 
hind or  to  wander  about  by  himself. 

The  same  programme  was  repeated  at  Tacoma  and 
Seattle,  in  the  State  of  Washington,  and  at  Vancouver, 
in  British  Columbia.  In  the  last-named  place  Alaric's 
chief  amusement  lay  in  watching  the  lading  of  the 
great  white  ship  that  was  to  bear  him  away,  and  the 
busy  life  of  the  port,  with  its  queer  medley  of  Yankees 
and  Britishers,  Indians  and  Chinamen,  tourists,  sailors, 
and  stevedores.  The  last-named  especially  excited 


27 

his  envious  admiration — they  were  such  big  men,  and 
so  strong. 

At  length  the  morning  of  sailing  arrived,  and  as  the 
mighty  steamship  moved  majestically  out  of  the  har- 
bor, and,  leaving  the  brown  waters  of  Burrard  Inlet 
behind,  swept  on  into  the  open  blue  of  the  Gulf  of 
Georgia,  the  boy  was  overwhelmed  with  a  great  wave 
of  homesickness.  Standing  alone  at  the  extreme 
after  end  of  the  promenade-deck,  he  watched  the 
fading  land  with  strained  eyes,  and  felt  like  an  outcast 
and  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

After  a  while  the  ship  began  to  thread  a  bewildering 
maze  of  islands,  in  which  Professor  Sonntagg  made  a 
slight  effort  to  interest  his  moody  young  charge ;  but 
finding  this  a  difficult  task,  he  quickly  gave  it  up,  and 
joined  some  acquaintances  in  the  smoking-room. 

Alaric  had  not  known  that  the  Empress  was  to  make 
one  stop  before  taking  her  final  departure  from  the 
coast.  So  when  she  was  made  fast  to  the  outer  wharf 
at  Victoria,  on  the  island  of  Vancouver,  the  largest 
city  in  British  Columbia,  and  its  capital,  he  felt  like 
one  who  receives  an  unexpected  reprieve  from  an  un- 
pleasant fate. 

As  it  was  announced  that  she  would  remain  here 
two  hours,  the  Sonntaggs,  according  to  their  custom,  at 
once  engaged  a  carriage  to  take  them  to  the  most  in- 
teresting places  in  the  city.  This  plan  had  been  sug- 
gested by  Amos  Todd  himself,  who  had  bidden  them 
spare  no  expense  or  pains  to  show  his  son  all  that 
was  worth  seeing  in  the  various  cities  they  might 
visit ;  and  that  the  boy  generally  declined  to  accom- 
pany them  on  these  excursions  was  surely  not  their 
fault — at  least,  they  did  not  regard  it  so. 

The  truth  was  that  Alaric  had  taken  a  dislike  to 
these  pretentious  people  from  the  very  first,  and  it  had 
grown  so  much  stronger  on  closer  acquaintance  that 


28  KICK   DALE 

now  he  was  willing  to  do  almost  anything  to  avoid 
their  company.  Thus  on  this  occasion  he  allowed  them 
to  drive  off  without  him,  while  he  strolled  alone  to  the 
head  of  the  wharf,  tossing  his  beloved  baseball,  which 
he  had  carefully  brought  with  him  on  this  journey, 
from  hand  to  hand  as  he  walked. 

"  Hello  !  Give  us  a  catch,"  shouted  a  cheery  voice  ; 
and,  looking  up,  Alaric  saw  a  merry-faced,  squarely 
built  lad  of  his  own  age  standing  in  an  expectant  at- 
titude a  short  distance  from  him.  Although  he  was 
roughly  dressed,  he  had  a  bright,  self-reliant  look  that 
was  particularly  attractive  to  our  young  traveller,  who 
without  hesitation  tossed  him  the  ball.  They  passed 
it  back  and  forth  for  a  minute,  and  then  the  stranger 
lad,  saying,  "  Good-bye ;  I  must  be  getting  along ; 
wish  I  could  stop  and  get  better  acquainted,  though," 
ran  on  with  a  laugh,  and  disappeared  in  the  crowd. 

An  hour  later  Alaric  was  nearly  half  a  mile  from 
the  wharf,  when  the  steamer's  hoarse  whistle  sounded 
a  warning  note  that  signified  a  speedy  departure.  He 
turned  and  began  to  walk  slowly  in  that  direction,  and 
a  few  minutes  later  a  carriage  containing  the  Sonntaggs 
dashed  by  without  its  occupants  noticing  him. 

At  sight  of  them  Alaric  paused.  A  queer  look  came 
into  his  face ;  it  grew  very  pale,  and  then  he  deliber- 
ately sat  down  on  a  log  by  the  way-side.  There  came 
another  blast  of  the  ship's  whistle,  and  then  the  tall 
masts,  which  he  could  just  see,  began  slowly  to  move. 
The  Empress,  with  the  Sonntaggs  on  board,  had  started 
for  China,  and  one  of  her  passengers  was  left  behind. 


CHAPTER  V 
FIRST  MATE   BONNY   BROOKS 

ALARIC  TODD'S  sensations  as  he  sat  on  that  log  and 
watched  the  ship,  in  which  he  was  supposed  to  be  a 
passenger,  steam  away  without  him  were  probably  as 
curious  as  any  ever  experienced  by  a  boy.  He  had 
deliberately  abandoned  a  life  of  luxury,  as  well  as  a 
position  that  most  people  are  striving  with  all  their 
energies  to  obtain,  and  accepted  in  its  place — what  ? 
He  did  not  know,  and  for  the  moment  he  did  not 
care.  He  only  knew  that  the  Sonntaggs  were  gone 
beyond  a  chance  of  return  at  least  for  some  weeks, 
and  that  during  that  time  there  was  no  possible  way 
in  which  they  could  reach  him  or  communicate  with 
his  family. 

He  realized  that  he  was  in  a  strange  city,  not  one 
of  whose  busy  population  either  knew  or  cared  to 
know  a  thing  about  him.  But  what  of  that  ?  If  they 
did  not  know  him  they  could  never  call  him  by  the 
hated  name  of  "  Allie."  If  he  succeeded  in  making 
friends,  it  would  be  because  of  himself,  and  not  on  ac- 
count of  his  father's  wealth.  Above  all,  those  now 
about  him  did  not  know  and  should  never  know,  if 
he  could  keep  it,  that  he  was  thought  to  be  possessed 
of  a  weak  heart.  Certainly  if  excitement  could  injure 
his  heart,  it  ought  to  be  completely  ruined  at  the 
present  moment,  for  he  had  never  been  so  excited  in 
his  life,  and  doubted  if  he  ever  should  be  again. 

With  it  all  the  lad  was  filled  with  such  an  exulting 


80  RICK    DALE 

sense  of  liberty  that  he  wanted  to  jump  and  shout 
and  share  with  every  passer-by  the  glorious  news  that 
at  length  he  was  free — free  to  be  a  boy  among  boys, 
and  to  learn  how  to  become  a  man  among  men.  He 
did  not  shout,  nor  did  he  confide  his  happiness  to 
any  of  those  who  were  coming  up  from  the  wharf, 
where  they  had  just  witnessed  the  departure  of  the 
great  ship ;  but  he  did  jump  from  the  log  on  which 
he  had  been  sitting  and  fling  his  baseball  high  in  the 
air.  As  it  descended  and  he  caught  it  with  practised 
skill,  he  was  greeted  by  the  approving  remark : 
"  Good  catch  !  Couldn't  do  it  better  myself  \"  and 
looking  round  he  saw  the  lad  with  whom  he  had 
passed  ball  a  short  time  before. 

"It  seems  mighty  good,"  continued  the  stranger, 
"  to  see  a  baseball  again,  and  meet  a  fellow  who  knows 
how  to  catch  one.  These  chaps  over  here  don't  know 
anything  about  it,  and  I've  hardly  seen  a  ball  since  I 
left  Massachusetts.  You  don't  throw,  though,  half 
as  well  as  you  catch." 

"  No,"  replied  Aleric,  "  I  haven't  learned  that  yet. 
You  see,  I've  only  just  begun." 

"That  so?  Wish  I  had  a  chance  to  show  you 
something  about  it,  then,  for  I  used  to  play  on  the 
nine  at  home." 

"I  wish  you  could,  for  I  want  awfully  to  learn. 
Why  can't  you  ?" 

"  Because  I  don't  live  here,  and,  do  you  know,  I 
didn't  think  you  did,  either.  When  I  saw  you 
awhile  ago,  I  had  a  sort  of  idea  that  you  belonged 
aboard  the  impress,  and  were  going  in  her  to  China, 
and  I've  been  more  than  half  envying  you  ever  since. 
Funny,  wasn't  it  ?" 

"Awfully  !"  responded  Alaric.  "And  I'm  glad  it 
isn't  true,  for  I  don't  know  of  anything  I  should  hate 
more  than  to  be  going  to  China  in  the  Empress.  But 


FIRST   MATE   BONNY   BROOKS  31 

I  say,  let's  stop  in  here  and  get  something  to  eat,  for 
Fm  hungry — aren't  you  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  laughed  the  other ;  and  with  this 
the  two  boys,  who  were  already  strolling  towards  the 
city  together,  turned  into  the  little  road-side  bake- 
shop  that  had  just  attracted  Alaric's  attention.  Here 
he  ordered  half  a  sheet  of  buns,  two  tarts,  and  two 
glasses  of  milk.  These  being  served  on  a  small  table, 
Alaric  paid  for  them,  and  the  newly  made  acquaint- 
ances sat  down  to  enjoy  their  feast  at  leisure. 

"What  I  want  to  do,"  said  Alaric,  continuing  their 
interrupted  conversation,  "is  to  get  back  to  the 
States  as  quickly  as  possible." 

"  That's  easy  enough,"  replied  the  other,  holding 
his  tart  in  both  hands  and  devouring  it  with  infinite 
relish.  "  There's  a  steamer  leaves  here  at  eight 
o'clock  this  evening  for  Seattle  and  Tacoma.  But 
you  don't  live  here  then,  after  all  ?" 

"  No,  I  don't  live  here,  nor  do  I  know  any  one  who 
does,  and  I  want  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  I  can ;  for  I 
am  looking  for  work,  and  should  think  the  chances 
for  finding  it  were  better  in  the  States  than  here." 

"  You  looking  for  work  ?"  said  the  other,  slowly, 
and  as  though  doubting  whether  he  had  heard  aright. 
At  the  same  time  he  glanced  curiously  at  Alaric's 
white  hands  and  neatly  fitting  coat.  "  You  don't  look 
like  a  fellow  who  is  looking  for  work." 

"  I  am,  though,"  laughed  Alaric  ;  "and  as  I  have 
just  spent  the  last  cent  of  money  I  had  in  the  world, 
I  must  find  something  to  do  right  away.  That's  the 
reason  I  want  to  get  back  to  the  States ;  but  I  don't 
know  about  that  steamer.  I  suppose  they'd  charge 
something  to  take  me,  wouldn't  they  ?" 

"  Well,  rather,"  responded  the  other.  "But  I  say, 
Mister —  By-the-way,  what  is  your  name  ?" 

"  Dale — Rick  Dale,"  replied  Alaric,  promptly,  for  he 


82  RICK  DALE 

had  anticipated  this  question,  and  was  determined  to 
drop  the  Todd  part  of  his  name,  at  least  for  the  pres- 
ent. "  But  there  isn't  any  Mister  about  it.  It's  just 
plain  Rick  Dale." 

"Well,  then,  plain  Rick  Dale,"  said  the  other,  "my 
name  is  Bonny  Brooks — short  for  Bonnicastle,  you 
know ;  and  I  must  say  that  you  are  the  most  cheer- 
ful-appearing fellow  to  be  in  the  fix  you  say  you  are 
that  I  ever  met.  When  I  get  strapped  and  out  of  a 
job  I  sometimes  don't  laugh  for  a  whole  day,  espe- 
cially if  I  don't  have  anything  to  eat  in  that  time." 

"  That's  something  I  never  tried,  and  I  didn't  know 
any  one  ever  did  for  a  whole  day,"  remarked  Alaric. 
"How  queer  it  must  seem!" 

"  Lots  of  people  try  it ;  but  they  don't  unless  they 
have  to,  and  it  don't  seem  queer  at  all,"  replied  Bonny, 
soberly.  "  But  what  kind  of  work  .are  you  looking  for, 
and  what  pay  do  you  expect  ?" 

"I  am  looking  for  anything  I  can  find  to  do,  and 
will  work  for  any  pay  that  is  offered." 

"It  would  seem  as  if  a  fellow  ought  to  get  plenty 
to  do  on  those  terms,"  said  Bonny,  "  though  it  isn't 
so  easy  as  you  might  think,  for  I've  tried  it.  How  do 
you  happen  to  be  looking  for  work,  anyway  ?  Where 
is  your  home,  and  where  are  your  folks  ?" 

"My  mother  is  dead,"  replied  Alaric,  "and  I  sup- 
pose my  father  is  in  France,  though  just  where  he  is 
I  don't  know.  Our  home  was  in  San  Francisco,  and 
before  he  left  he  tried  to  fix  things  all  right  for  me ; 
but  they  turned  out  all  wrong,  and  so  I  am  here  look- 
ing for  something  to  do." 

"  If  that  don't  beat  anything  I  ever  heard  of !"  cried 
Bonny  Brooks,  in  a  tone  of  genuine  amazement.  "  If 
I  didn't  know  better,  I  should  think  you  were  telling 
my  story,  or  that  we  were  twins ;  for  my  mother  is 
dead,  and  my  father,  when  last  heard  from,  was  on  his 


FIRST  MATE   BONNY   BROOKS  83 

way  to  France.  Yon  see,  he  was  a  ship  captain,  and 
we  lived  in  Sandport,  on  Cape  Cod,  where,  after  my 
mother  died,  he  fixed  up  a  home  for  me  with  an  aunt, 
and  left  money  enough  to  keep  me  at  school  until 
he  came  back  from  a  voyage  to  South  America  and 
France.  We  heard  of  his  reaching  Brazil  and  leaving 
there,  but  never  anything  more ;  and  when  a  year 
passed  Aunt  Nancy  said  she  couldn't  support  me  any 
longer.  So  she  got  me  a  berth  as  cabin-boy  on  a  bark 
bound  to  San  Francisco,  and  then  to  the  Sound  for 
lumber  to  China.  I  wanted  to  go  to  China  fast  enough, 
but  the  captain  treated  me  so  badly  that  I  couldn't 
stand  it  any  longer,  and  so  skipped  just  before  the 
ship  sailed  from  Port  Blakely.  The  meanest  part  of 
it  all  was  that  I  had  to  forfeit  my  pay,  leave  my  dun- 
nage on  board,  and  light  out  with  only  what  I  had  on 
my  back." 

"That's  my  fix  exactly/'  cried  Alaric,  delightedly. 
" I  mean,"  he  added,  recollecting  himself,  "that  my 
baggage  got  carried  off,  and  as  I  haven't  heard  from 
it  since,  I  don't  own  a  thing  in  the  world  except  the 
clothing  I  have  on." 

"And  a  baseball,"  interposed  Bonny. 

"  Oh  yes,  a  baseball,  of  course,"  replied  Alaric,  so- 
berly, as  though  that  were  a  most  matter-of-fact  pos- 
session for  a  boy  in  search  of  employment.  "But 
what  did  you  do  after  your  ship  sailed  away  without 
you  ?" 

"Starved  for  a  couple  of  days,  and  then  did  odd 
jobs  about  the  river  for  my  grub,  until  I  got  a  chance 
to  ship  as  one  of  the  crew  of  the  sloop  Fancy,  that 
runs  freight  and  passengers  between  here  and  the 
Sound.  That  was  only  about  a  month  ago,  and  now 
I'm  first  mate." 

"  You  are  ?"  cried  Alaric,  at  the  same  time  regard- 
ing his  young  companion  with  a  profound  admiration 


34  RICK   DALE 

and  vastly  increased  respect.  "  Seems  to  me  that  is 
the  most  rapid  promotion  I  ever  heard  of.  What  a 
splendid  sailor  yon  mnst  be  I" 

Although  the  speaker  was  so  ignorant  of  nautical 
matters  that  he  did  not  know  a  sloop  from  a  schooner, 
or  from  a  full -rigged  ship,  for  that  matter,  he  had 
read  enough  sea  stories  to  realize  that  the  first  mate 
of  any  vessel  was  often  the  most  important  character 
on  board. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bonny,  modestly,  "  I  do  know  a  good 
deal  about  boats ;  for,  you  see,  I  was  brought  up  in 
a  boating  town,  and  have  handled  them  one  way 
and  another  ever  since  I  can  remember.  I  haven't 
been  first  mate  very  long,  though,  because  the  man 
who  was  that  only  left  to-day." 

"  What  made  him  ?"  asked  Alaric,  who  could  not 
understand  how  any  one,  having  once  attained  to  such 
an  enviable  position,  could  willingly  give  it  up. 

"Oh,  he  had  some  trouble  with  the  captain,  and 
seemed  to  think  it  was  time  he  got  paid  something 
on  account  of  his  wages,  so  that  he  could  buy  a  shirt 
and  a  pair  of  boots." 

"  Why  didn't  the  captain  pay  him  ?" 

"  I  suppose  he  didn't  have  the  money." 

"  Then  why  didn't  the  man  get  the  things  he  want- 
ed, and  have  them  charged  ?" 

"  That's  a  good  one,"  laughed  Bonny.  "  Because 
the  storekeeper  wouldn't  trust  him,  of  course." 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing,"  declared  Alaric, 
indignantly.  "I  thought  people  could  always  have 
things  charged  if  they  wanted  to.  I'm  sure  I  never 
found  any  trouble  in  doing  it." 

Didn't  you  ?"  said  Bonny.  "Well,  I  have,  then," 
and  he  spoke  so  queerly  that  Alaric  realized  in  a  mo- 
ment that  he  had  very  nearly  betrayed  his  secret. 
Hastening  to  change  the  subject,  he  asked  : 


FIEST  MATE  BONNY   BROOKS  35 

"  If  yon  took  the  mate's  place,  who  took  yours  ?" 

"  Nobody  has  taken  it  yet,  and  that's  what  I'm 
after  now  —  hunting  for  a  new  hand.  The  captain 
couldn't  come  himself,  because  he's  got  rheumatism 
so  bad  that  it's  all  he  can  do  to  crawl  out  on  deck 
and  back  again.  Besides,  it's  the  first  mate's  place 
to  ship  the  crew,  anyhow." 

"  Then,"  asked  Alaric,  excitedly,  "  why  don't  you 
take  me  ?  I'll  work  hard  and  do  anything  you  say  ?" 

"  You  ?"  cried  Bonny,  regarding  his  companion 
with  amazement.  "Have  you  ever  sailed  a  boat  or 
helped  work  a  vessel  ?" 

"No,"  replied  Alaric,  humbly;  "but  I  am  sure  I 
can  learn,  and  I  shouldn't  expect  any  pay  until  I 
did." 

"  I  should  say  not,"  remarked  the  first  mate  of  the 
Fancy^  "though  most  greenhorns  do.  Still,  that  is 
one  thing  in  your  favor.  Another  is  that  you  can 
catch  a  ball  as  well  as  any  fellow  I  ever  knew,  and  a 
chap  who  can  do  that  can  learn  to  do  most  anything. 
So  I  really  have  a  great  mind  to  take  you  on  trial." 

"  Do  you  think  the  captain  will  agree  to  it  ?"  asked 
Alaric,  anxiously. 

"Of  course  he  will,  if  I  say  so,"  replied  Bonny 
Brooks,  confidently;  "for,  as  I  just  told  you,  the  first 
mate  always  hires  the  crew." 


CHAPTER  VI 
PREPARING  TO   BE   A   SAILOR 

DURING  the  conversation  just  recorded  the  boys  by 
no  means  neglected  their  luncheon,  for  both  of  them 
had  been  very  hungry,  and  by  the  time  they  arrived  at 
an  understanding  in  regard  to  Alaric's  engagement 
not  a  crumb  of  food  nor  a  drop  of  milk  was  left  be- 
fore them.  While  to  Bonny  Brooks  this  had  proved 
a  most  welcome  and  enjoyable  repast,  to  Alaric  it 
marked  a  most  important  era  of  his  life.  To  begin 
with,  it  was  the  first  meal  he  had  ever  paid  for  out  of 
his  own  pocket,  and  this  alone  was  sufficient  to  give 
it  a  flavor  that  he  had  never  discovered  in  the  rich 
food  by  which  his  appetite  had  heretofore  been 
tempted. 

Then  during  this  simple  meal  he  had  entered  upon 
his  first  friendship  with  a  boy  of  his  own  age,  for  the 
liking  that  he  had  already  taken  for  Bonny  Brooks 
was  evidently  returned.  Above  all,  during  that  brief 
lunch-hour  he  had  conducted  his  first  independent 
business  operation,  and  now  found  himself  engaged  to 
fill  a  responsible  position  in  active  life.  To  be  sure, 
he  was  only  taken  on  trial,  but  if  good  intentions  and 
a  determination  to  do  his  very  best  could  command 
success,  then  was  his  position  assured.  How  fortunate 
he  was,  after  all !  An  opening,  a  chance  to  prove 
what  he  could  do,  was  all  that  he  had  wanted,  and 
behold  !  it  was  his  within  the  first  hour  of  his  independ- 
ent life.  How  queer  that  it  had  come  through  his 


PREPARING  TO  BE  A  SAILOR  87 

baseball  too,  and  how  strangely  one  thing  seemed  to 
lead  to  another  ! 

Now  Alaric  was  impatient  for  a  sight  of  the  vessel 
that  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  future  labors,  and  anx- 
ious to  begin  them.  He  had  so  little  idea  of  what  a 
sloop  was  that  he  even  wondered  if  it  would  be  pro- 
pelled by  sails  or  steam.  He  was  inclined  to  think 
that  it  must  be  the  latter,  for  Bonny  had  spoken  of 
his  craft  as  carrying  passengers,  and  Alaric  had  never 
known  any  passenger  boats  except  such  as  were  driven 
by  steam.  So  he  pictured  the  Fancy  as  a  steamer, 
not  so  large  as  the  Empress,  of  course,  but  fairly  good- 
sized,  manned  by  engineers,  stokers,  stewards,  and  a 
crew  of  sailors.  With  this  image  in  his  mind,  he 
regarded  his  companion  as  one  who  had  indeed  attained 
a  lofty  position. 

So  busy  was  our  hero  with  these  thoughts  that  for  a 
full  minute  after  the  lads  left  the  bake-shop  he  did  not 
utter  a  word.  Bonny  Brooks  was  also  occupied  with 
a  line  of  thought  that  caused  him  to  glance  reflectively 
at  his  companion  several  times  before  he  spoke.  Final- 
ly he  broke  out  with : 

"  I  say,  Rick  Dale,  I  don't  know  about  shipping  you 
for  a  sailor,  after  all.  You  see,  you  are  dressed  alto- 
gether too  fine.  Any  one  would  take  you  for  the  cap- 
tain or  maybe  the  owner  if  you  were  to  go  aboard  in 
those  togs." 

"  Would  they  ?"  asked  Alaric,  gazing  dubiously 
down  at  his  low-cut  patent-leather  shoes,  black  silk 
socks,  and  light  trousers  accurately  creased  and  un- 
bagged  at  the  knees.  Besides  these  he  wore  a  vest 
and  sack-coat  of  fine  black  serge,  an  immaculate  collar, 
about  which  was  knotted  a  silk  neck-scarf,  and  a 
narrow-striped  cheviot  shirt,  the  cuffs  of  which  were 
fastened  by  gold  sleeve-links.  Across  the  front  of  his 
vest,  from  pocket  to  pocket,  extended  a  slender  chain 


38  RICK   DALE 

of  twisted  gold  and  platinum,  at  one  end  of  which  was 
his  watch,  and  at  the  other  a  gold  and  platinum  pencil- 
case. 

"Yes,  they  would/'  answered  Bonny,  with  decision ; 
"  and  you've  got  to  make  a  change  somehow,  or  else 
our  bargain  must  be  called  off,  for  you  could  never  be- 
come a  sailor  in  that  rig." 

Here  was  a  difficulty  on  which  Alaric  had  not 
counted,  and  it  filled  him  with  dismay.  "  Couldn't  I 
change  suits  with  you  ?"  he  asked,  anxiously.  "  I 
shouldn't  think  mine  would  be  too  fine  for  a  first 
mate." 

"  Not  if  I  know  it,"  laughed  Bonny.  "  They'd  fit 
me  too  much  one  way  and  not  enough  another.  Be- 
sides, they  are  shore  togs  any  way  you  look  at  'em,  and 
not  at  all  the  things  to  go  to  sea  in.  The  cap'n  would 
have  a  fit  if  you  should  go  aboard  dressed  as  you 
are.  So  if  you  want  to  ship  with  us,  I'm  afraid  you'll 
have  to  buy  a  new  outfit." 

"  But  I  haven't  any  money,  and  you  say  they  won't 
charge  things  in  this  town." 

"'Of  course  they  won't  if  they  don't  know  you ;  but 
you  might  spout  your  ticker,  and  make  a  raise  that 
way." 

"  Might  what  ?" 

"  Shove  up  your  watch.  Leave  it  with  your  uncle, 
you  know,  until  you  earned  enough  to  buy  it  back." 

"  Do  you  mean  sell  it  ?" 

"  No.  They'd  ask  too  many  questions  if  you  tried 
to  sell  it,  and  wouldn't  give  much  more,  anyway.  I 
mean  pawn  it." 

"All  right,"  replied  Alaric.  "I'm  willing,  only  I 
don't  know  how." 

"  Oh,  I'll  show  you  quick  enough,  if  you  really  want 
to  do  it." 

As  Alaric  insisted  that  he  was  willing  to  do  almost 


PREPARING   TO   BE   A    SAILOR  39 

anything  to  procure  that  coveted  sailor's  outfit,  Bonny 
led  him  to  a  mean-looking  shop,  above  the  door  of 
which  hung  three  golden  balls.  The  dingy  windows 
were  filled  with  a  dusty  miscellany  of  watches,  pistols, 
and  all  sorts  of  personal  property,  while  the  opening 
of  the  door  set  loose  a  musty  odor  of  old  clothing. 
As  this  came  pouring  forth  Alaric  instinctively  drew 
back  in  disgust ;  but  with  a  sudden  thought  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  be  too  fastidious  in  the  new  life  he 
had  chosen,  he  conquered  his  repugnance  to  the  place 
and  followed  Bonny  inside. 

A  gaunt  old  Hebrew  in  a  soiled  dressing-gown 
stood  behind  a  small  counter.  As  Alaric  glanced  at 
him  hesitatingly,  Bonny  opened  their  business  by  say- 
ing, briskly : 

"  Hello,  uncle  !  How  are  you  to-day  ?  My  friend 
here  wants  to  make  a  raise  on  his  watch." 

"Led's  see  dot  vatch,"  replied  Mr.  Isaacs,  and 
Alaric  handed  it  to  him,  together  with  the  chain  and 
pencil-case.  It  was  a  fine  Swiss  chronometer,  with 
the  monogram  A.D.T.  engraved  on  its  back ;  and 
as  the  pawnbroker  tested  the  quality  of  its  case  and 
peered  at  the  works,  Alaric  noted  his  deliberate  move- 
ments with  nervous  anxiety.  Finally  the  man  said  : 

"  I  gifs  you  den  tollars  on  dot  vatch  mit  der  chain 
und  pencil  trown  in." 

Alaric  would  have  accepted  this  offer  at  once,  but 
Bonny  knew  better. 

"Ten  nothings  \"  he  said.  "You'll  give  us  fifty 
dollars,  uncle,  or  we'll  take  it  down  to  Levi's." 

"  Feefty  tollar  !  So  hellup  me  grashus  !  I  vould 
be  alretty  bankrupted  of  I  gif  f eef ty  tollars  on  effery 
vatch.  Vat  you  dake  me  for  ?" 

"  Take  you  for  an  old  fraud,"  replied  the  unabashed 
first  mate  of  the  Fancy.  "  Of  course  you  would  be 
bankrupted,  as  you  ought  to  have  been  long  ago,  if 


40  '          KICK    DALE 

you  gave  fifty  dollars  on  every  turnip  that  is  brought 
in ;  but  you  could  well  afford  to  advance  a  hundred 
on  this  watch,  and  you  know  it." 

"  Veil,  I  tell  you  ;  I  gifs  t'venty-fife." 

"  Fifty,"  said  Bonny,  firmly. 

"  Dirty,  und  nod  von  cend  more,  so  hellup  me." 

"Fifty." 

"  Dirty-fife  ?" 

"  We'll  split  the  difference,  and  call  it  forty-five." 

"  I  gifs  you  fordy  oud  of  charidy,  seeing  you  is  so 
hart  up." 

"  It's  a  bargain,"  cried  Bonny.  "  Hand  over  your 
cash." 

"How  could  you  talk  to  him  that  way?"  asked 
Alaric,  admiringly,  as  the  boys  left  the  shop,  he 
minus  his  watch  and  chain,  but  with  forty  dollars  and 
a  pawn-ticket  in  his  pocket. 

"  I  couldn't  once,"  laughed  Bonny ;  "  but  it's  one 
of  the  things  poor  folks  have  to  learn.  If  you  are  will- 
ing to  let  people  impose  on  you  they'll  be  mighty 
quick  to  do  it,  and  the  only  way  is  to  bluff  'em  from 
the  start." 

The  next  place  they  entered  was  a  sailor's  slop- 
shop, in  which  were  kept  all  sorts  of  seafaring  gar- 
ments and  accessories.  Here,  advised  by  Bonny, 
Alaric  invested  fourteen  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents 
in  a  blue  knit  jersey,  or  sweater,  a  pair  of  stout  wool- 
len trousers,  two  flannel  shirts,  two  suits  of  heavy 
underclothing,  several  pairs  of  cotton  socks,  and  a 
pair  of  canvas  shoes. 

Expressing  a  desire  to  make  a  change  of  clothing  at 
once,  he  was  shown  a  retired  corner  where  he  might 
do  so,  and  from  which  he  emerged  a  few  minutes 
later  so  altered  in  appearance  that  it  is  doubtful  if  his 
own  father  would  have  recognized  him. 

"  That's  something  like  it !"  cried  Bonnj. 


"  'VELL,  I  TELL  YOU.      I  GIFS  YOU   TVENTY-FIFE 


PREPARING   TO   BE   A   SAILOR  41 

"  Isn't  it  ?"  replied  Alaric,  surveying  himself  with 
great  satisfaction  in  a  mirror,  and  fully  convinced 
that  he  now  looked  so  like  a  sailor  that  no  one  could 
possibly  mistake  him  for  anything  else.  "  Don't  you 
think,  though,  that  I  ought  to  have  the  name  of  the 
sloop  embroidered  across  the  front  of  this  sweater  ? 
All  the  sailors  I  have  ever  seen  had  theirs  fixed  that 
way." 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  a  good  idea,"  replied  Bonny, 
soberly,  though  filled  with  inward  laughter  at  the 
suggestion.  "  But  perhaps  you'd  better  wait  until  you 
see  if  the  ship  suits  you,  and  whether  you  stay  with 
us  or  not." 

"Oh,  I'll  stay,"  asserted  Alaric.  "There's  no 
fear  but  what  I  will,  if  you'll  only  keep  me." 

"  Going  yachting,  sir  ?"  asked  the  shopkeeper,  po- 
litely, as  he  carefully  folded  Alaric's  discarded  suit  of 
fine  clothing. 

"  No,  indeed,"  replied  the  boy,  scornfully  ;  "  I'm 
going  to  be  a  sailor  on  the  sloop  Fancy,  and  I  wish 
you  would  send  those  things  down  to  her  at  once." 

Ere  the  man  could  recover  from  his  astonishment 
at  this  request  sufficiently  to  make  reply,  Bonny  in- 
terrupted, hastily : 

"  Oh  no,  Rick  !  we'll  take  them  with  us.  There 
isn't  time  to  have  'em  sent." 

"  I  should  guess  not,"  remarked  the  shopkeeper,  in 
a  very  different  tone  from  the  one  he  had  used  before. 
"  But  say,  young  feller,  if  you're  going  to  be  a 
sailor  you'll  want  a  bag,  and  I've  got  a  second-hand 
one  here  almost  as  good  as  new  that  I'll  sell  cheap. 
It  come  to  me  with  a  lot  of  truck  from  the  sale  of  a 
confiscated  sealer ;  and  seeing  that  it's  got  another 
chap's  name  painted  on  it,  I'll  let  you  have  it  for 
one  bob  tuppence  -  ha'penny,  and  that  '11  make  even 
money  between  us." 


42  KICK    DALE 

Thus  saying,  the  man  produced  a  stout  canvas  bag, 
such  as  a  sailor  uses  in  place  of  a  trunk.  The  name 
plainly  painted  across  it,  in  black  letters,  was  "  Philip 
Ryder",  but  Alaric  said  he  didn't  mind  that,  so  he 
took  the  bag,  thrust  his  belongings,  including  his 
cherished  baseball,  into  it,  and  the  two  boys  left  the 
shop. 

"  By-the-way,"  asked  Alaric,  hesitatingly,  "  don't  I 
need  to  get  some  brushes  and  things  ?" 

"  What  for  ?" 

' '  Why,  to  brush  my  hair,  and —  " 

"  Oh  no,"  interrupted  the  other.  f '  There's  a  comb 
on  board,  and,  besides,  we  can't  stop  for  anything 
more.  I've  been  gone  s.o  long  now  that  I  expect  the 
old  man  is  madder'n  a  wet  hen  by  this  time." 

So  Bonny  led  the  way  to  the  wharves,  and  to  a  nar- 
row slip  between  two  of  them  that  just  then  was  oc- 
cupied by  but  a  single  craft.  She  was  a  small  sloop, 
not  over  forty  feet  long,  though  of  good  beam,  evi- 
dently very  old,  and  so  dingy  that  it  was  hard  to  be- 
lieve she  had  ever  been  painted.  Her  sails,  hanging 
unfurled  in  lazy  jacks,  were  patched  and  discolored; 
her  running  rigging  was  spliced,  the  standing  rigging 
was  sadly  in  need  of  setting  up,  her  iron-work  was 
rusted,  and  her  spars  were  gray  with  age. 

"  There's  the  old  packet,"  said  Bonny,  cheerfully. 

"  Where  ?"  asked  Alaric,  gazing  vaguely  down  the 
slip  and  utterly  ignoring  the  disreputable  craft  close 
at  hand. 

"  Why,  right  here,"  answered  the  other,  a  trifle  im- 
patiently. "Don't  you  see  the  name  ' F-A-N-C-Y' 
on  her  stern  ?  She  isn't  much  to  look  at,  I  know,  but 
she's  a  hummer  to  go,  and  a  mighty  good  sea-boat. 
She's  awfully  comfortable,  too.  Come  aboard  and  I'll 
show  you." 

With  this  the  cheery  young  fellow,  who  had  actually 


PREPARING  TO   BE  A   SAILOR  43 

come  to  a  belief  that  the  shabby  old  craft  was  all  he 
claimed  for  her,  tossed  his  friend's  recent  purchase  to 
the  deck  of  the  sloop,  and  began  to  clamber  after  it 
down  a  rickety  ladder. 

With  all  his  bright  visions  of  a  minute  before  rudely 
dispelled,  and  with  a  heart  so  heavy  that  he  could  find 
no  words  to  express  his  feelings,  Alaric  followed  him. 


CHAPTER  VII 
CAPTAIN   DUFF,  OF  THE   SLOOP   tf FANCY7' 

As  the  newly  engaged  crew  of  the  sloop  Fancy 
slowly  and  awkwardly  descended  the  slippery  ladder 
leading  down  to  his  ship,  he  experienced  his  first 
regrets  at  the  decisive  step  he  had  taken,  and  doubts 
as  to  its  wisdom.  The  real  character  of  the  sloop  as 
shown  by  a  single  glance  was  so  vastly  different  from 
his  ideal,  that  for  a  moment  it  did  not  seem  as  though 
he  could  accept  the  disreputable  old  craft  as  even  a 
temporary  home.  Never  before  had  he  realized  how 
he  loathed  dirt  and  disorder,  and  all  things  that  of- 
fended his  delicately  trained  senses.  Never  before 
had  he  appreciated  the  cleanly  and  orderly  forms  of 
living  to  which  he  had  always  been  accustomed.  He 
could  not  imagine  it  possible  to  eat,  sleep,  or  even  ex- 
ist on  board  such  a  craft  as  lay  just  beneath  him,  and 
his  impulse  was  to  fly  to  some  remote  place  where  he 
should  never  see  nor  hear  of  the  Fancy  again.  But 
even  as  he  was  about  to  do  this  the  sound  of  Bonny's 
reassuring  voice  completely  changed  the  current  of 
his  thoughts. 

Was  not  the  lad  who  had  brought  him  to  this  place 
a  very  picture  of  cheerful  health,  and  just  such  a 
strong,  active,  self-reliant  boy  as  he  longed  to  become  ? 
Surely  what  Bonny  could  endure  he  could  !  Perhaps 
disagreeable  things  were  necessary  to  the  proper  de- 
velopment of  a  boy.  That  thought  had  never  come  to 
him  before,  but  now  he  remembered  how  much  his 


CAPTAIN   DUFF,  OF  THE  SLOOP  "  FANCY  "          46 

hands  had  suffered  before  they  were  trained  to  catch 
a  regulation  ball. 

Besides  all  this,  had  not  Bonny  hesitated  before 
consenting  to  give  him  a  trial,  and  had  he  not  insisted 
on  coming  ?  Had  he  not  also  confidently  asserted 
that  all  he  wanted  was  a  chance  to  show  what  he  was 
good  for,  and  that  nothing  save  a  dismissal  should 
cause  him  to  relinquish  whatever  position  was  given 
him  ?  After  all,  no  matter  how  bad  things  might 
prove  on  the  sloop,  there  would  always  be  plenty  of 
fresh  air  and  sunshine,  besides  an  unlimited  supply  of 
clean  water.  He  could  remember  catching  glimpses, 
in  foreign  cities,  of  innumerable  pestilential  places  in 
which  human  beings  were  compelled  to  spend  whole 
lifetimes,  where  none  of  these  things  was  to  be  had. 

Yes,  he  would  keep  on  and  make  the  best  of  what- 
ever presented  itself,  for  perhaps  things  would  not 
prove  to  be  as  bad  as  they  seemed ;  and,  after  all, 
he  was  willing  to  endure  a  great  deal  for  the  sake  of 
continuing  the  friendship  just  begun  between  himself 
and  Bonny  Brooks.  He  remembered  now  having  once 
heard  his  father  say  that  a  friendship  worth  having 
was  worth  fighting  for.  If  that  were  the  case,  what  a 
coward  he  would  be  to  even  think  of  relinquishing 
his  first  real  friendship  without  making  an  effort  to 
retain  it. 

By  the  time  all  these  thoughts  had  flashed  through 
the  boy's  mind  he  had  gained  the  sloop's  deck,  where 
he  was  startled  by  an  angry  voice  that  sounded  like 
the  bellow  of  an  enraged  bull.  Turning  quickly,  he 
saw  his  friend  Bonny  confronted  by  a  big  man  with  a 
red  face  and  bristling  beard.  This  individual,  sup- 
ported by  a  pair  of  rudely  made  crutches,  was  standing 
beside  the  after  companion-way,  and  glaring  at  the 
bag  containing  his  own  effects  that  had  been  tossed 
down  from  the  wharf. 


46  RICK   DALE 

"  Ye've  got  a  hand,  have  ye  ?"  roared  this  man,  whom 
Alaric  instinctively  knew  to  be  the  captain.  "  Is  this 
his  dunnage  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  first  mate.   "  And  I  think— 

"Never  mind  what  you  think,"  interrupted  the 
captain,  fiercely.  "  Send  him  about  his  business,  and 
pitch  his  dunnage  back  on  the  wharf  or  pitch  it 
overboard,  I  don't  care  which.  Pitch  it !  d'ye 
hear  ?" 

"  But  Captain  Duff,  I  think—" 

"Who  asked  ye  to  think  ?  I  do  the  thinking  on 
board  this  craft.  Don't  ye  suppose  I  know  what  I'm 
talking  about  ?  I  tell  ye  I  had  this  Phil  Kyder  with 
me  on  one  cruise,  and  I'll  never  have  him  on  another ! 
An  impudent  young  puppy  as  ever  lived,  and  a 
desarter  to  boot.  Took  off  two  of  my  best  men  with 
him,  too.  Oh,  I  know  him,  and  I'd  Phil  him  full 
of  his  own  rifle-bullets  ef  I  had  the  chance.  I'd  like 
to  Ryder  him  on  a  rail,  too." 

"  You  are  certainly  mistaken,  sir,  this  time,  for — " 

"  Who,  I  ?  You  dare  say  I'm  mistaken,  you  tarry 
young  swab  you  !"  roared  the  man,  his  face  turning 
purple  with  rage.  "  Oh,  ef  I  had  the  proper  use  of 
my  feet  for  one  minute  I'd  show  ye  !  Put  him  ashore, 
I  tell  ye,  and  do  it  in  a  hurry  too,  or  you'll  go  with  him 
without  one  cent  of  wages — not  one  cent,  d'ye  hear  ? 
I'll  have  no  mutiny  where  I'm  cap'n." 

Poor  Alaric  listened  to  this  fierce  outbreak  with 
mingled  fear  and  dismay.  Now  that  the  situation  he 
had  deemed  so  surely  his  either  to  accept  or  reject  was 
denied  him,  it  again  seemed  very  desirable.  He  was 
about  to  speak  up  in  his  own  behalf  when  the  angry 
man's  last  threat  caused  him  to  change  his  mind.  He 
could  not  permit  Bonny  to  suffer  on  his  account,  and 
lose  the  position  he  had  so  recently  attained.  No, 
the  very  first  law  of  friendship  forbade  that ;  and  so, 


CAPTAIN   DUFF,  OF  THE   SLOOP  "  FANCY  "          47 

stepping  forward  to  claim  his  bag,  he  said,  in  a  low 
tone  :  "Never  mind  me,  Bonny;  I'll  go." 

"  No,  you  won't !"  retorted  the  young  mate,  stout- 
ly, "or,  if  you  do,  I'll  go  with  you;  and  I'll  have 
my  wages  too,  Captain  Duff,  or  know  the  reason 
why." 

Without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  this  re- 
mark, the  man  was  staring  at  Alaric,  whom  he  had 
not  noticed  until  this  moment.  "  Who  is  that  land- 
lubber togged  out  like  a  sporty  salt  ?"  he  demanded. 

"  He's  the  crew  I  hired,  and  the  one  you  have  just 
bounced,"  replied  Bonny. 

"  What's  his  name  ?" 

"  Rick  Dale." 

"  What  made  you  say  it  was  Phil  Ryder,  then  ?" 

"  I  didn't,  sir.     You—" 

"  Don't  contradict  me,  you  unlicked  cub  !  Can  he 
shoot  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Alaric,  as  Bonny  looked  at  him 
inquiringly. 

"All  right.  I  wouldn't  have  him  aboard  if  he 
could.  Why  don't  he  take  his  thundering  dunnage 
and  go  for'ard,  where  he  belongs,  and  cook  me  some 
grub  when  he  knows  I  haven't  had  anything  to  eat 
sence  sunup  ?  Why  don't  he,  I  say  ?" 

With  this  Captain  Duff  turned  and  clumped  heav- 
ily to  the  other  side  of  the  deck  ;  while  Bonny,  hastily 
picking  up  the  bag  that  had  been  the  innocent  cause 
of  all  this  uproar,  said,  in  a  low  voice  :  "  Come  on, 
Rick  ;  it's  all  right." 

As  they  went  forward  together  he  dropped  the  bag 
down  a  tiny  forecastle  hatch.  Then,  after  asking 
Alaric  to  cut  some  kindlings  and  start  a  fire  in  the 
galley  stove,  which  was  housed  on  deck,  he  dove  into 
the  cabin  to  see  what  he  could  find  that  could  be 
cooked  for  dinner. 


48  RICK   DALE 

When  he  reappeared  a  minute  later  he  found  his 
crew  struggling  with  an  axe  and  a  chunk  of  hard 
wood,  from  which  he  was  vainly  attempting  to  detach 
some  slivers.  He  had  already  cut  two  deep  gashes 
in  the  deck,  and  in  another  moment  would  probably 
have  needed  crutches  as  badly  as  the  captain  himself. 

"Hold  on,  Rick  I"  cried  the  young  mate,  catching 
the  axe-helve  just  as  the  weapon  was  making  another 
erratic  descent.  "  I  find  those  grocery  chaps  haven't 
sent  down  any  stores.  So  do  you  just  run  up  there. 
It's  two  doors  this  side  of  Uncle  Isaac's,  you  know, 
and  hurry  them  along.  I'll  'tend  to  the  fire  while  you 
are  gone." 

Gladly  exchanging  his  unaccustomed,  and  what  he 
considered  to  be  very  dangerous,  task  of  wood-chop- 
ping for  one  that  he  felt  sure  he  could  accomplish 
creditably,  Alaric  hastened  away.  He  found  the 
grocer's  easily  enough,  and  demanded  of  the  first 
clerk  he  met  why  the  stores  for  the  sloop  Fancy  had 
not  been  sent  down. 

"  Must  have  been  the  other  dark,  sir,  and  I  sup- 
pose he  forgot  all  about  'em ;  but  I'll  attend  to  the 
order  at  once,  sir,"  replied  the  man,  who  took  in  at 
a  glance  Alaric's  gentlemanly  bearing  and  the  new- 
ness of  his  nautical  garb.  "  Have  'em  right  down, 
sir.  Hard  bread,  salt  junk,  rice,  and  coffee,  I  believe. 
Anything  else,  sir  ?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  replied  Alaric. 

"  Going  to  take  a  run  on  the  Fancy  yourself,  sir  ?" 

"  Yes." 

''Then  of  course  you'll  want  some  soft  bread,  a 
few  tins  of  milk,  half  a  dozen  jars  of  marmalade,  and 
a  dozen  or  so  of  potted  meats  ?" 

"  I  suppose  so,"  assented  the  boy. 

"  Step  this  way,  sir,  and  let  me  show  you  some  of 
our  fine  goods,"  suggested  the  clerk,  insinuatingly. 


CAPTAIN  DUFF,  OF  THE  SLOOP  "  FANCY n         49 

In  another  part  of  the  building  he  prattled  glibly 
of  pate-de-foie-gras,  and  Neufchatel  cheese,  truffles, 
canned  mushrooms,  Albert  biscuit,  anchovy  paste, 
stuffed  olives,  Wiesbaden  prunes,  and  a  variety  of 
things — all  of  which  were  so  familiar  to  the  million- 
aire's son,  and  had  appeared  so  naturally  on  all  the 
tables  at  which  he  had  ever  sat,  that  he  never  for  a 
moment  doubted  but  what  they  must  be  necessities 
on  the  Fancy  as  well.  Of  ten  million  boys  he  was 
perhaps  the  only  one  absolutely  ignorant  that  these 
luxuries  were  not  daily  articles  of  food  with  all  per- 
sons above  the  grade  of  paupers  ;  and  as  he  was 
equally  without  a  knowledge  of  their  cost,  he  allowed 
the  clerk  to  add  a  dozen  jars  of  this,  and  as  many 
pots  of  that,  to  his  list,  until  even  that  wily  individual 
could  think  of  nothing  else  with  which  to  tempt  this 
easy-going  customer.  So,  promising  that  the  sup- 
plies just  ordered  should  be  sent  down  directly,  he 
bowed  Alaric  out  of  the  door,  at  the  same  time  trust- 
ing that  they  should  be  honored  with  his  future 
patronage. 

Bethinking  himself  that  he  must  have  a  tooth- 
brush, and  that  it  would  also  be  just  as  well  to  have 
his  own  comb,  in  spite  of  Benny's  assurance  that  the 
ship's  comb  would  be  at  his  service,  the  lad  went  in 
search  of  these  articles.  When  he  found  them  he 
was  also  tempted  to  invest  in  what  he  regarded  as  two 
other  indispensables — namely,  a  cake  of  fine  soap  and 
a  bottle  of  eau-de-Cologne. 

He  had  gone  quite  a  distance  for  these  things,  and 
occupied  a  full  half -hour  in  getting  them.  As  he  re- 
traced his  steps  towards  the  wharves  he  passed  the 
slop-shop  in  which  his  first  purchases  of  the  day  had 
been  made,  and  was  greeted  by  the  proprietor  with  an 
inquiry  as  to  whether  old  Duff  had  taken  aboard  his 
cargo  of  ' '  chinks  and  dope  "  yet.  Not  understanding 


50  HICK  DALE 

the  question,  Alaric  did  not  answer  it;  but  as  he  passed 
on  he  wondered  what  sort  of  a  cargo  that  could  be. 

By  the  time  he  regained  the  wharf  to  which  the 
Fancy  was  moored  the  flooding  tide  had  raised  her  to 
a  level  with  it,  and  on  her  deck  Alaric  beheld  a  scene 
that  filled  him  with  amazement.  The  stores  that  he 
had  ordered  had  arrived.  The  wagon  in  which  they 
had  come  stood  at  one  side,  and  they  had  all  been 
taken  aboard.  One  of  the  two  men  who  had  brought 
them  was  exchanging  high  words  and  even  a  shaking 
of  fists  with  the  young  first  mate  of  the  sloop,  while 
the  other  was  presenting  a  bill  to  the  captain  and  insist- 
ing upon  its  payment. 

Captain  Duff,  foaming  at  the  mouth  and  purple  in 
the  face,  was  speechless  with  rage,  and  could  only  make 
futile  passes  with  one  of  his  crutches  at  the  man  with 
the  bill,  who  dodged  each  blow  with  great  agility.  As 
Alaric  appeared  this  individual  cried  out : 

"  Here's  the  young  gent  as  ordered  the  goods  now  I" 

"  Certainly,"  said  Alaric,  advancing  to  the  sloop's 
side.  "I  was  told  to  order  some  stores,  and  I  did  so." 

"  Oh,  you  did,  did  ye  !  you  thundering  young  blun- 
derbuss ?"  roared  Captain  Duff,  finding  his  voice  at 
last.  "  Then  suppose  you  pay  for  'em." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  lad,  quietly,  thinking  this 
an  official  command  that  must  be  obeyed. 

A  minute  later  peace  was  restored,  Captain  Duff  was 
gasping,  and  his  first  mate  was  staring  with  amaze- 
ment. The  bill  had  been  paid,  the  wagon  driven 
away,  and  Alaric  was  again  without  a  single  cent  in  his 
pockets. 


CHAPTER   VIII 
AN   UNLUCKY  SMASH 

CAPTAIN  DUFF'S  first  order  after  peace  was  thus 
restored  and  he  had  recovered  the  use  of  his  voice, 
temporarily  lost  through  amazement  at  the  spectacle 
of  a  sailor  before  the  mast  paying  out  of  his  own  pocket 
for  a  ship's  stores,  and  stores  of  such  an  extraordinary 
character  as  well,  was  that  the  goods  thus  acquired 
should  be  immediately  transferred  to  his  own  cabin. 
So  Bonny,  with  Alaric  to  assist,  began  to  carry  the 
things  below. 

The  cabin  was  very  small,  dirty,  and  stuffy.  It  con- 
tained two  wide  transom  berths,  one  on  each  side,  a 
table  bearing  the  stains  of  innumerable  meals  and  black 
with  age,  and  two  stools.  There  was  a  clock  nailed  to 
the  forward  bulkhead ;  beneath  it  was  fastened  a  small, 
cheap  mirror,  and  beside  this,  attached  to  a  bit  of 
tarred  twine,  hung  the  ship's  comb. 

One  of  the  two  berths  was  overlaid  with  a  mattress, 
several  soiled  blankets,  and  a  tattered  quilt.  It  formed 
the  captain's  bed,  and  it  also  served  as  a  repository  for 
a  number  of  tobacco-boxes  and  an  assortment  of  well- 
used  pipes.  In  the  other  berth  was  a  confusion  of 
old  clothing,  hats,  boots,  and  whatever  else  had  been 
pitched  there  to  get  it  out  of  the  way.  Here  the  cap- 
tain proposed  to  have  stored  the  providential  supply 
of  food  that  had  come  to  him  as  unexpectedly  as  that 
furnished  by  the  ravens  to  the  prophet  Elijah. 

The  air  of  the  place  was  so  pervaded  with  a  combi- 


52  RICK  DALE 

nation  odor  of  stale  tobacco  smoke,  mouldy  leather, 
damp  clothing,  bilge -water,  kerosene,  onions,  and 
other  things  of  an  equally  obtrusive  nature,  that  poor 
Alaric  gasped  for  breath  on  first  descending  the  short 
but  steep  flight  of  steps  leading  to  it.  He  deposited 
his  burden  and  hurried  out  as  quickly  as  possible,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  Captain  Duff,  who  sat  on  his 
bunk,  had  begun  to  speak  to  him. 

On  his  next  trip  below  the  lad  drew  in  a  long 
breath  of  fresh  air  just  before  entering  the  evil-smell- 
ing cabin,  and  determined  not  to  take  another  until 
he  should  emerge  from  it.  In  his  haste  to  execute 
this  plan  he  dropped  his  armful  of  cans,  and,  without 
waiting  to  stow  them,  had  gained  the  steps  before 
realizing  that  the  captain  was  ordering  him  to  come 
back. 

Furious  at  hearing  his  command  thus  disregarded, 
the  man  reached  out  with  one  of  his  crutches,  caught 
it  around  the  boy's  neck,  and  gave  him  a  violent  jerk 
backward. 

The  startled  lad,  losing  his  foothold,  came  to  the 
floor  with  a  crash  and  a  loud  escaping  "  Ah  I"  of 
pent-up  breath.  At  the  same  moment  the  cabin  be- 
gan to  be  pervaded  with  a  new  and  unaccustomed 
odor  so  strong  that  all  the  others  temporarily  with- 
drew in  its  favor. 

"  Oh  murder  !  Let  me  out/'  gasped  Captain  Duff, 
as  he  scrambled  for  the  companion-way  and  a  breath 
of  outer  air.  "  Of  all  the  smells  I  ever  smelled  that's 
the  worst !" 

"  What  have  you  broken,  Kick  ?"  asked  Bonny,  anx- 
iously, thrusting  his  head  down  the  companion-way. 
He  had  been  curiously  reading  the  unfamiliar  labels 
on  the  various  jars,  pots,  and  bottles,  and  now  fancied 
that  his  crew  had  slipped  down  the  steep  steps  with 
some  of  these  in  his  arms. 


AN   UNLUCKY  SMASH  68 

"Whew!  but  it's  strong!"  he  continued,  as  the 
penetrating  fumes  greeted  his  nostrils.  "Is  it  the 
truffles  or  the  pate  grass  or  the  cheese  ?" 

"I'm  afraid,"  replied  Alaric,  sadly,  as  he  slowly 
rose  from  the  cabin  floor  and  thrust  a  cautious  hand 
into  one  of  his  hip-pockets,  "  that  it  is  a  bottle  of 
eau-de-Cologne." 

' ( Cologne  I"  cried  Bonny,  incredulously,  as  he 
caught  the  word.  "  If  these  foreign  kinds  of  grub  are 
put  up  in  cologne,  it's  no  wonder  that  I  never  heard 
of  them  before.  Why,  it's  poison,  that's  what  it  is, 
and  nothing  less.  Shall  I  heave  the  rest  of  the  truck 
overboard,  sir  ?" 

"Hold  on!"  cried  Alaric,  emerging  with  rueful  face 
from  the  cabin  in  time  to  catch  this  suggestion.  "It 
isn't  in  them.  It  was  in  my  pocket  all  by  itself." 

"  I  wish  it  had  stayed  there,  and  you'd  gone  to 
Halifax  with  it  afore  ever  ye  brought  the  stuff  aboard 
this  ship!"  thundered  the  captain.  "  Avast,  ye  lub- 
ber !  Don't  come  anigh  me.  Go  out  on  the  end  of 
the  dock  and  air  yourself." 

So  the  unhappy  lad,  his  clothing  saturated  with  co- 
logne, betook  himself  to  the  wharf,  where,  as  he  slow- 
ly walked  up  and  down,  filling  the  air  with  perfume, 
he  carefully  removed  bits  of  broken  glass  from  his 
moist  pocket,  and  disgustedly  flung  them  overboard. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  the  first  mate,  under 
the  captain's  personal  supervision,  was  fumigating  the 
cabin  by  burning  in  it  a  bunch  of  oakum  over  which 
was  scattered  a  small  quantity  of  tobacco.  When  the 
atmosphere  of  the  place  was  thus  so  nearly  restored 
to  its  normal  condition  that  Captain  Duff  could  again 
endure  it,  Bonny  finished  stowing  the  supplies,  and 
then  turned  his  attention  to  preparing  supper. 

Meanwhile  Alaric  had  been  joined  in  his  lonely 
promenade  by  a  stranger,  who,  with  a  curious  expres- 


64  RICK   DALE 

sion  on  his  face  as  he  drew  near  the  lad,  changed  his 
position  so  as  to  get  on  the  windward  side,  and  then 
began  a  conversation. 

"Fine  evening, "he  said. 

"  Is  it  ?"  asked  Alaric,  moodily. 

"  I  think  so.     Do  you  belong  on  that  sloop  ?" 

"Yes." 

"Able  looking  craft,  and  seems  to  have  good  ac- 
commodations. Where  does  she  run  to  from  here  ?" 

"  The  Sound,"  answered  Alaric,  shortly,  for  he  was 
not  in  a  humor  to  be  questioned. 

"  What  does  she  carry  ?" 

"Passengers  and  cargo." 

"  Indeed.     And  may  I  ask  what  sort  of  a  cargo  ?" 

"You  may." 

"  Well,  then,  what  sort  ?"  persisted  the  stranger. 

"  Chinks  and  dope,"  returned  Alaric,  glancing  up 
with  the  expectation  of  seeing  a  look  of  bewilderment 
on  his  questioner's  face.  But  the  latter  only  said  : 

"Um!  About  what  I  thought.  Good-paying  busi- 
ness, isn't  it  ?" 

"If  it  wasn't  we  wouldn't  be  in  it/'  replied  the 
boy. 

"  No,  I  suppose  not ;  and  it  must  pay  big  since  it 
enables  even  the  cabin-boy  to  drench  himself  with 
perfumery.  Good-night ;  you're  too  sweet-scented  for 
my  company." 

Ere  Alaric  could  reply  the  stranger  was  walking  rap- 
idly away,  and  Bonny  was  calling  him  to  supper. 

The  first  mate  apologized  for  serving  this  meal  on 
deck,  saying  that  the  sloop's  company  generally  ate 
together  in  the  cabin,  but  that  Captain  Duff  objected 
to  the  crew's  presence  at  his  table  on  this  occasion. 
"So,"  said  Bonny,  "I  told  him  he  might  eat  alone, 
then,  for  I  should  come  out  and  eat  with  you." 

"  I  hope  he  will  always  feel  the  same  way,"  retorted 


AN   UNLUCKY   SMASH  55 

Alaric,  "for  it  doesn't  seem  as  though  I  could  pos- 
sibly stay  in  that  cabin  long  enough  to  eat  a  meal." 

"Oh,  I  guess  you  could,"  laughed  Bonny.  "Any- 
way, it  will  be  all  right  by  breakfast-time,  for  the 
smell  is  nearly  gone  now.  But  I  say,  Rick  Dale, 
what  an  awfully  funny  fellow  you  are  anyway  !  What 
in  the  world  made  you  pay  for  all  that  truck  ?  It 
must  have  taken  every  cent  you  had." 

"So  it  did,"  replied  Alaric.  "But  what  of  that  ? 
It  was  the  easiest  way  to  smooth  things  over  that  I 
knew  of." 

"  It  wouldn't  have  been  for  me,  then,"  rejoined  Bon- 
ny, "for  I  haven't  handled  a  dollar  in  so  long  that  it 
would  scare  me  to  find  one  in  my  pocket.  But  why 
didn't  you  let  them  take  back  the  things  we  didn't 
need  ?" 

"  Because,  having  ordered  them,  we  were  bound  to 
accept  them,  of  course,  and  because  I  thought  we 
needed  them  all.  I'm  awfully  tired  of  such  things 
myself,  but  I  didn't  know  you  were." 

"  What !  olives  and  mushrooms  and  truffles,  and 
the  rest  of  the  things  with  queer  names  ?  I  never 
tasted  one  of  them  in  my  life,  and  don't  believe  the 
captain  did,  either." 

"  That  seems  odd,"  reflected  Alaric. 

"  Doesn't  it  ?"  responded  Bonny,  quizzically.  "And 
that  cologne,  too.  What  ever  made  you  buy  it  ?" 

"J  don't  know  exactly.  Because  1  happened  to  see 
it,  I  suppose,  and  thought  it  would  be  a  useful  thing 
to  have  along.  A  little  of  it  is  nice  in  your  bath,  you 
know,  or  to  put  on  your  handkerchief  when  you  have 
a  headache." 

"  My  stars  !"  exclaimed  Bonny.  "  Listen  to  that, 
will  you  !  Why,  Rick,  to  hear  you  talk,  one  would 
think  you  were  a  prince  in  disguise,  or  a  bloated  aris- 
tocrat of  some  kind  !" 


66  RICK  DALE 

"Well,  Fm  not,"  answered  Alaric,  shortly.  "Fm 
only  a  sailor  on  board  the  sloop  Fancy,  who  has  just 
eaten  a  fine  supper  and  enjoyed  it." 

"  Have  you,  really  ?"  asked  the  other,  dubiously. 
"  It  didn't  seem  to  me  that  just  coffee  without  any 
milk,  hard  bread,  and  fried  salt  pork  were  very  fine, 
and  I  was  afraid  that  perhaps  you  wouldn't  like  'em." 

"  I  do,  though,"  insisted  Alaric.  "  You  see,  I  never 
tasted  any  of  those  things  before,  and  they  are  first- 
class." 

"Well,"  said  Bonny,  "I  don't  think  much  of  such 
grub,  and  Fve  had  it  for  more  than  a  year,  too  ;  but, 
then,  every  one  to  his  liking.  Now,  if  you  are  all 
through,  let's  hustle  and  clear  away  these  dishes,  for 
we  are  going  to  sail  to-night,  you  know,  and  I've  got 
to  notify  our  passengers.  You  may  come  with  me 
and  learn  the  ropes  if  you  want  to." 

"  But  we  haven't  any  cargo  aboard,"  objected  Alaric. 

"  Oh,  that  won't  take  long.  A  few  minutes  will  fix 
the  cargo  all  right." 

Alaric  wondered  what  sort  of  a  cargo  could  be  taken 
aboard  in  a  few  minutes,  but  wisely  concluded  to 
wait  and  see. 

So  the  dishes  were  hastily  washed  in  a  bucket  of 
sea-water  and  put  away.  Then,  after  a  short  con- 
sultation with  Captain  Duff  in  the  cabin,  Bonny  re- 
appeared, and,  beckoning  Alaric  to  follow  him,  both 
lads  went  ashore  and  walked  up  into  the  town. 

Although  it  was  now  evening,  Bonny  did  not  seek 
the  well-lighted  business  streets,  but  made  his  way  to 
what  struck  Alaric  as  a  peculiarly  disreputable  neigh- 
borhood. The  houses  were  small  and  dingy,  and  their 
windows  were  so  closely  shuttered  that  no  ray  of  light 
issued  from  them. 

At  length  they  paused  before  a  low  door,  on  which 
Bonny  rapped  in  a  peculiar  manner.  It  was  cautiously 


AH  UHLUCKY  SMASH  57 

opened  by  a  man  who  held  a  dim  lamp  over  his  head, 
and  who  evidently  regarded  them  with  suspicion.  He 
was  reassured  by  a  few  words  from  the  young  mate ; 
the  door  was  closed  behind  them,  and,  with  the  stran- 
ger leading  the  way,  while  Alaric,  filled  with  curiosity, 
brought  up  the  rear,  all  three  entered  a  narrow  and 
very  dark  passage,  the  air  of  which  was  close  and  sti- 
fling. 


CHAPTER   IX 

"CHINKS"  AND 

THE  dark  passage  into  which  the  lads  had  just  been 
ushered  was  short,  and  was  ended  by  a  door  of  heavy 
planking  before  Alaric  found  a  chance  to  ask  his  com- 
panion why  they  had  coine  to  such  a  very  queer  and 
mysterious  place.  The  opening  of  that  second  door 
admitted  them  to  another  passage  equally  narrow,  but 
well-lighted,  and  lined  with  a  number  of  tiny  rooms, 
each  containing  two  bunks  arranged  like  berths  one 
above  the  other.  By  the  dim  light  in  these  rooms 
Alaric  could  see  that  many  of  these  berths  were  occu- 
pied by  reclining  figures,  most  of  whom  were  China- 
men, though  a  few  were  unmistakably  white.  Some 
were  smoking  tiny  metal  -  bowled  pipes  with  long 
stems,  while  others  lay  in  a  motionless  stupor. 

The  air  was  heavy  with  a  peculiarly  sickening  odor 
that  Alaric  recognized  at  once.  He  had  met  it  before 
during  his  travels  among  the  health  resorts  of  Conti- 
nental Europe,  in  which  are  gathered  human  wrecks 
of  every  kind.  Of  them  all  none  had  seemed  to  the 
lad  so  pitiable  as  the  wretched  victims  of  the  opium 
or  morphine  habit,  which  is  the  most  degrading  and 
deadly  form  of  intemperance. 

This  boy,  so  ignorant  of  many  of  the  commonest 
things  of  life,  and  yet  wise  far  beyond  his  years  con- 
cerning other  phases,  had  often  heard  the  opium  habit 
discussed,  and  knew  that  the  hateful  drug  was  taken 
in  many  forms  to  banish  pain,  cause  forgetfulness 


of  sorrow,  and  produce  a  sleep  filled  with  beautiful 
dreams.  He  knew,  too,  of  the  sad  awakenings  that 
followed  —  the  dulled  senses,  the  return,  with  re- 
doubled force,  of  all  the  unhappiness  that  had  only 
been  driven  away  for  a  short  time,  and  the  cravings 
for  other  and  yet  larger  doses  of  the  deadly  stuff. 

He  had  heard  his  father  say  that  opium,  more  than 
any  other  one  thing,  was  the  curse  of  China,  and  that 
one  of  the  principal  reasons  why  the  lower  grades  of 
Chinese  ought  to  be  excluded  from  the  United  States 
was  that  they  were  introducing  the  habit  of  opium 
smoking,  and  spreading  it  abroad  like  a  pestilence. 

Knowing  these  things,  Alaric  was  filled  with  horror 
at  finding  himself  in  a  Chinese  opium  den,  and  won- 
dered if  Bonny  realized  the  true  character  of  the  place. 
In  order  to  find  out  he  gained  his  comrade's  side,  and 
asked,  in  a  low  tone  :  "  Do  you  know,  Bonny,  what 
sort  of  a  place  this  is  ?" 

"  Yes,  of  course.     It  is  Won  Lung's  joint." 

"  I  mean,  do  you  know  what  the  men  in  those  bunks 
are  doing  ?" 

"  Certainly/'  replied  Bonny,  cheerfully.  "  They're 
hitting  the  pipe." 

Perplexed  as  he  was  by  these  answers,  Alaric  still 
asked  another  question. 

"  But  do  you  know  what  they  are  smoking  in  those 
pipes  ?" 

"To  be  sure  I  do," answered  the  other,  a  trifle  impa- 
tiently. "  It's  dope.  Most  any  one  would  know  that. 
Didn't  you  ever  smell  it  before  ?" 

"  Dope  !"  Once  before  had  Alaric  heard  the  word 
during  that  eventful  day,  and  he  had  even  used  it  him- 
self, without  knowing  its  meaning.  Now  it  flashed 
across  him.  Dope  was  opium,  and  that  hateful  drug 
was  to  form  the  sloop's  cargo.  The  idea  of  such  a 
thing  was  so  repugnant  to  him  that  he  might  have  en- 


60  KICK   DALE 

tered  a  protest  against  it  then  and  there,  had  not  a 
sudden  change  of  scene  temporarily  diverted  his  atten- 
tion from  the  subject. 

The  passage  they  had  been  traversing  ended  in  an 
open  court,  so  foreign  in  its  every  detail  that  it  ap- 
peared like  a  bit  from  some  Chinese  city  lifted  bodily 
and  transported  to  the  New  World.  The  dingy  build- 
ings surrounding  it  were  liberally  provided  with  bal- 
conies, galleries,  and  odd  little  projecting  windows,  all 
of  which  were  occupied  by  Chinamen  gazing  with  lan- 
guid interest  at  the  busy  scene  below.  From  most  of 
the  galleries  hung  rows  of  gayly  colored  paper  lanterns, 
which  gave  the  place  a  very  quaint  and  festive  aspect. 

On  the  pavement  were  dozens  of  other  Chinamen, 
with  here  and  there  a  demure-looking  little  woman 
and  a  few  children.  Heaps  of  queer-looking  luggage, 
each  piece  done  up  in  matting  and  fastened  with  nar- 
row strips  of  rattan,  were  piled  in  the  corners.  At  one 
side  was  an  immense  stove,  or  rather  a  huge  affair  ol 
brick,  containing  a  score  or  more  of  little  charcoal 
stoves,  each  fitted  for  the  cooking  of  a  single  kettle  of 
rice  or  pot  of  tea.  About  this  were  gathered  a  number 
of  men  preparing  their  evening  meal.  Many  of  the 
others  were  comparing  certificates  and  photographs, 
a  proceeding  that  puzzled  Alaric  more  than  a  little,  for 
he  was  so  ignorant  of  the  affairs  of  his  own  country 
that  he  knew  nothing  of  its  Chinese  Exclusion  Law. 

He  began  to  learn  something  about  it  right  there, 
however,  and  subsequently  discovered  that  while  Chi- 
nese gentlemen,  scholars,  and  merchants  are  as  freely 
admitted  to  travel,  study,  or  reside  in  the  United  States 
as  are  similar  classes  from  any  other  nation,  the  low- 
er grades  of  Chinese,  rated  as  laborers,  are  forbidden 
by  law  to  set  foot  on  American  soil.  This  is  because 
there  are  such  swarming  millions  of  them  willing  to 
work  for  very  small  wages,  and  live  as  no  self-respect- 


"CHINKS"  AND  "DOPE"  61 

ing  white  man  could  live  ;  that,  were  they  allowed  to 
enter  this  country  freely,  they  would  quickly  drive 
white  laborers  from  the  field  and  leave  them  to  starve. 
Then,  too,  they  bring  with  them  and  introduce  opium- 
smoking,  gambling,  lotteries,  and  other  equally  per- 
nicious vices.  Besides  all  this,  the  Chinese  in  the 
United  States,  with  here  and  there  an  exception,  have 
no  desire  to  become  citizens,  or  to  remain  longer  than 
is  necessary  to  scrape  together  the  few  hundreds  of 
dollars  with  which  they  can  return  to  their  own  land 
and  live  out  the  rest  of  their  days  in  luxury. 

Many  thousands  of  Chinese  laborers  had  come  to 
the  United  States  before  the  exclusion  law  was  passed, 
and  these,  by  registering  and  allowing  themselves  to 
be  photographed  for  future  identification,  obtain  cer- 
tificates which,  while  not  permitting  them  to  return 
if  they  once  leave  the  country,  allow  them  to  remain 
here  undisturbed.  Any  Chinaman  found  without  such 
a  protection  is  liable  to  be  arrested  and  sent  back  to 
his  own  land. 

These  certificates,  therefore,  are  so  valuable  that 
Chinamen  going  home  with  no  intention  of  ever  re- 
turning to  this  country  find  no  difficulty  in  selling 
their  papers  to  others,  who  propose  to  try  and  smuggle 
themselves  into  the  United  States  from  Canada  or 
Mexico.  There  are  always  plenty  who  are  anxious  to 
make  this  attempt,  for  if  they  once  get  a  foothold 
they  can  earn  better  wages  here  than  anywhere  else  in 
the  world.  Of  course,  the  purchaser  of  a  certificate 
must  look  something  like  the  attached  photograph, 
and  correspond  to  the  personal  description  contained 
in  it.  To  do  this  a  Chinaman  will  scar  his  features 
with  cuts  or  burns  if  necessary,  and  will  make  himself 
up  to  resemble  any  particular  photograph  as  skilfully 
as  a  professional  actor. 

This,  then,  is  what  many  of  those  whom  Alaric  and 


62  RICK   DALE 

Bonny  now  encountered  were  doing,  for  the  place 
into  which  they  had  come  was  a  Chinese  hotel  in 
which  all  newly  arrived  Chinamen  found  shelter  while 
waiting  for  work  or  for  a  chance  to  smuggle  them- 
selves into  the  United  States,  which  is  what  ninety- 
nine  out  of  every  one  hundred  of  them  propose  to  do 
if  possible. 

As  the  lads  stood  together  on  the  edge  of  this  novel 
scene,  while  their  guide  went  from  group  to  group 
making  to  each  a  brief  announcement,  Alaric,  seizing 
this  first  opportunity  for  acquiring  definite  informa- 
tion, asked :  "  What  on  earth  are  we  here  for,  Bonny  ?" 

"To  find  out  how  many  passengers  are  ticketed 
for  to-night's  boat  and  get  them  started/'  was  the 
reply. 

"You  don't  mean  that  our  passengers  are  to  be 
Chinamen  ?" 

"  Yes,  of  course.  I  thought  I  told  you  so  first  thing 
this  morning  when  you  asked  me  what  the  sloop 
carried." 

"  No.   You  only  said  passengers  and  freight." 

"I  ought  to  have  said  'chinks.'  But  what's  the 
odds?  'Chinks'  are  passengers,  aren't  they  ?" 

"Do  you  mean  Chinamen?  Are  'chinks'  China- 
men?" 

"  That's  right,"  replied  Bonny. 

"Well,"  said  Alaric,  who  had  been  on  the  Coast 
long  enough  to  imbibe  all  a  Californian's  contempt 
for  natives  of  the  Flowery  Kingdom,  "  if  I'd  known 
that  'chinks'  meant  Chinamen,  and  dope  meant 
opium,  I  should  have  been  too  much  ashamed  of  what 
the  Fancy  carried  ever  to  tell  any  one  about  it." 

"  I  hope  you  won't,"  responded  Bonny.  "  There 
isn't  any  necessity  for  you  to  that  I  know  of." 

"But  I  have  already.  There  was  a  man  on  the 
wharf  while  I  was  getting  aired  who  asked  me  what 


"CHINKS 

onr  cargo  was.  Just  to  see  what  he  would  say  I  told 
him  '  chinks  and  dope/  though  I  hadn't  the  slight- 
est idea  of  what  either  of  them  meant." 

"  My  !  but  that's  bad  !"  cried  Bonny,  with  an  anx- 
ious look  on  his  face.  "  I  only  hope  he  wasn't  a 
beak.  They've  been  watching  us  pretty  sharp  lately, 
and  I  know  the  old  man  is  in  a  regular  tizzy-wizzy  for 
fear  we'll  get  nabbed." 

Before  Alaric  could  ask  why  they  should  be  nabbed, 
Won  Lung,  the  proprietor  of  the  establishment,  who 
also  acted  as  interpreter,  came  to  where  they  were 
standing,  greeted  Bonny  as  an  old  acquaintance, 
looked  curiously  at  Alaric,  and  announced  that  thir- 
ty-six of  his  boarders  had  procured  tickets  for  a  pas- 
sage to  the  Sound  on  the  Fancy. 

"We  can't  take  but  twenty  of  'em  on  this  trip," 
said  the  young  mate,  decidedly.  "  And  with  their 
dunnage  we'll  have  to  stow  'em  like  sardines,  any- 
way. The  others  must  wait  till  next  time." 

"  Mebbe  you  tlake  some  man  in  clabin,  some  mebbe 
in  fo'c's'le,"  suggested  Won  Lung,  blandly. 

"Mebbe  we  don't  do  anything  of  the  kind,"  re- 
plied Bonny.  "  The  trip  may  last  several  days,  and  I 
know  I  for  one  am  not  going  to  be  crowded  out  of 
my  sleeping-quarters.  So,  Mr.  Lung,  if  you  send  down 
one  man  more  than  twenty  he  goes  overboard.  You 
savey  that  ?" 

"  Yep,  me  sabby.    Allee  same  me  no  likee." 

"  Sorry,  but  I  can't  help  it.  And  you  want  to  hustle 
'em  along  too,  for  we  are  going  to  sail  in  half  an 
hour.  Got  the  stuff  ready  ?" 

"Yep,  all  leddy.     Two  hun'l  poun'." 

"  Good  enough.     Send  it  right  along  with  us." 

A  few  minutes  later  our  lads  had  left  Won  Lung's 
queer  hotel  and  were  out  in  the  quiet  streets  accom- 
panied by  two  Chinese  coolies,  who  bore  heavy  burdens 


64  RICK   DALE 

slung  from  the  ends  of  stout  bamboo  poles  carried 
across  their  shoulders. 

As  Bonny  seemed  disinclined  to  talk,  Alaric  re- 
frained from  asking  questions,  and  the  little  party 
proceeded  in  silence  through  unfrequented  streets  to 
the  place  where  their  sloop  lay.  Here  the  burdens 
borne  by  the  coolies  were  transferred  to  the  cabin, 
where  this  part  of  the  cargo  was  left  with  Captain 
Duff,  and  Alaric  had  no  knowledge  of  where  it  was 
stowed. 

While  the  captain  was  thus  busy  below,  Bonny  was 
giving  the  crew  his  first  lesson  in  seamanship  by 
pointing  out  three  ropes  that  he  called  jib,  throat, 
and  peak  halyards,  showing  him  how  to  make  them 
fast  about  their  respective  belaying-pins,  and  impress- 
ing upon  him  the  importance  of  remembering  them. 

Shortly  after  this  the  score  of  long-queued  passen- 
gers arrived  with  their  odd-looking  packages  of  per-    , 
sonal  belongings,  were  taken  aboard  in  silence,  and 
stowed  in  the  hold  until  Alaric  wondered  if  they  were 
piled  on  top  of  one  another  like  sticks  of  cord-wood. 

Then  the  mooring  -  lines  were  cast  off,  and  the 
Fancy  drifted  noiselessly  out  of  the  slip  with  the  ebb- 
ing tide.  Once  clear  of  it  the  jib  was  hoisted,  and 
she  began  to  ,glide  out  of  the  harbor  before  a  gentle, 
off-shore  breeze. 


CHAPTER   X 
PUGET  SOUND   SMUGGLERS 

THE  great  landlocked  body  of  salt  water  known 
as  Puget  Sound,  penetrating  for  nearly  one  hundred 
miles  the  northwestern  corner  of  Washington,  the 
Northwest  State,  is  justly  termed  a  smuggler's  para- 
dise. It  pierces  the  land  in  every  direction  with  a 
perfect  net-work  of  inlets,  channels,  and  bays  lined 
with  endless  miles  of  forest,  frowning  cliffs,  and 
snuggly  hidden  harbors.  The  upper  end  of  the  Sound, 
where  its  width  entitles  it  to  be  called  a  gulf,  is  filled 
with  an  archipelago  of  rugged  islands  of  all  sizes  and 
shapes,  thinly  settled,  and  offering  innumerable  se- 
cure hiding-places  for  small  boats.  Here  and  there 
along  the  shores  of  the  Sound  are  Indian  reservations 
uncleared  and  unoccupied  save  by  dwindling  rem- 
nants of  the  once  populous  coast  tribes.  These  Ind- 
ians, though  retaining  their  tribal  names  among  them- 
selves, are  all  known  to  the  whites  under  the  one 
designation  of  "  Siwash,"  a  corruption  of  the  French 
sauvage. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  Sound  are  the  important 
American  cities  of  Seattle  and  Tacoma  ;  while  at  its 
extreme  southern  end  stands  Olympia,  Washington's 
capital.  On  its  western  side,  and  just  north  of  the 
Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  that  connects  the  Sound  with 
the  ocean,  is  located  the  Canadian  city  of  Victoria, 
from  which  all  the  smuggling  operations  of  these  wa- 
ters are  conducted. 


66  RICK   DALE 

From  Victoria  to  the  American  island  of  San  Juan 
on  the  east,  the  largest  of  the  archipelago  already 
mentioned,  the  distance  is  only  twelve  miles,  while  it 
is  but  twenty  miles  across  the  Strait  of  Fuca  to  the 
American  mainland  on  the  south.  These  two  points 
being  so  near  at  hand,  it  is  easy  enough  to  run  a 
boat-load  of  opium  or  Chinamen  over  to  either  of 
them  in  a  night.  For  such  a  passage  each  Chinaman 
is  compelled  to  pay  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dollars, 
while  opium  yields  a  profit  of  four  or  five  dollars  a 
pound.  Smuggling  from  Victoria  is  thus  such  a  lu- 
crative business  that  many  men  of  easy  conscience 
are  engaged  in  it. 

Both  the  island  route  and  that  by  way  of  the  strait 
present  the  serious  drawbacks  of  having  their  land- 
ing-places so  remote  from  railroads  and  cities  that, 
though  the  frontier  has  been  passed,  there  is  still  a 
dangerous  stretch  of  territory  to  be  crossed  before 
either  of  these  can  be  reached.  In  view  of  this  fact, 
it  occurred  to  one  of  the  more  enterprising  among 
the  Victoria  smugglers  to  undertake  a  greater  risk  for 
the  sake  of  greater  profits,  and  run  a  boat  nearly  one 
hundred  miles  up  the  Sound  to  some  point  in  near 
vicinity  to  one  of  its  large  cities. 

He  had  just  the  craft  for  the  purpose,  and  finally 
secured  a  captain  who,  having  recently  lost  a  schooner 
through  seizure  by  the  American  authorities  for  un- 
lawful sealing  in  Bering  Sea,  was  reckless  and  des- 
perate enough  for  the  new  venture.  As  this  man 
undertook  the  run  for  a  share  of  the  profits,  he  was 
inclined  to  reduce  all  expenses  to  their  very  lowest 
limits,  and  had  already  made  a  number  of  highly  suc- 
cessful trips.  Although  the  fare  to  each  Chinaman 
by  this  new  line  was  twenty -five  dollars,  it  offered 
such  superior  advantages  as  to  be  liberally  patron- 
ized, and  the  boat  was  always  crowded. 


PUGET  SOUND   SMUGGLERS  67 

In  the  meantime  the  American  authorities  had  dis- 
covered that  much  illegal  opium  and  many  illegal 
Chinamen  were  entering  their  country  through  a  new 
channel  that  seemed  to  lead  to  the  vicinity  of  Taco- 
ma.  The  recently  appointed  commander  of  a  United 
States  revenue  -  cutter  determined  to  break  up  this 
route,  and  capture,  if  possible,  these  boldest  of  all  the 
Sound  smugglers.  For  some  weeks  he  watched  in 
vain,  overhauled  and  examined  a  number  of  innocent 
vessels,  and  with  each  failure  became  the  more  anx- 
ious to  succeed.  At  length  he  sent  his  third  lieu- 
tenant to  Victoria,  of  course  out  of  uniform,  to  gain 
what  information  he  could  concerning  any  vessel  that 
seemed  likely  to  be  engaged  in  smuggling. 

This  officer,  after  spending  several  days  in  the  city 
without  learning  anything  definite,  was  beginning  to 
feel  discouraged,  when  one  afternoon,  as  he  was  stroll- 
ing near  the  docks,  he  noticed  two  lads  walking  ahead 
of  him  who  looked  something  like  sailors.  One  of 
them  had  evidently  just  purchased  a  new  outfit  of 
clothing,  and  carried  a  canvas  bag  on  which  his 
name  was  painted  in  black  letters.  Making  a  mental 
note  of  this  name,  the  officer  followed  the  lads,  out  of 
curiosity  to  see  what  kind  of  a  craft  they  would  board. 

When  he  saw  the  Fancy  he  said  to  himself:  "Tough- 
looking  old  packet.  I  wonder  if  that  young  chap 
with  the  bag  can  be  one  of  her  crew  ?" 

Without  approaching  the  sloop  so  closely  as  to  at- 
tract attention,  he  lingered  in  her  vicinity  until  Alaric 
went  up-town  to  procure  supplies,  when  the  officer 
still  kept  him  in  sight.  He  even  entered  the  store  in 
which  the  lad  was  dealing,  and  here  his  curiosity 
was  stimulated  by  the  young  sailor's  varied  and  costly 
order. 

"  That  sloop  must  make  an  extraordinary  amount 
of  money  somehow,"  he  reflected. 


68  KICK   DALE 

So  interested  had  he  now  become  that  he  even  fol- 
lowed Alaric  while  the  lad  made  his  subsequent  pur- 
chases. Finally  he  found  himself  again  near  the 
sloop  just  as  the  lad  who  had  excited  his  curiosity 
was  ordered  to  the  wharf  to  air  himself  after  his  un- 
fortunate experience  with  the  bottle  of  cologne.  At 
length  the  officer  addressed  him,  and  by  dint  of  per- 
sistent questions  became  confirmed  in  his  suspicions 
that  the  dingy  old  sloop  cruised  to  the  Sound  with 
Chinamen  and  opium. 

Having  gained  the  information  he  wanted  thus 
easily  and  unexpectedly,  the  officer  returned  to  his 
hotel  for  supper  and  to  write  a  despatch  that  should 
go  by  that  night's  boat.  After  delivering  this  on 
board  the  steamer,  he  determined  to  take  one  more 
look  at  the  suspected  sloop ;  and,  strolling  leisurely 
in  that  direction,  reached  the  wharf  just  in  time  to  see 
her  glide  out  from  the  slip  and  head  for  the  open 
sea. 

Here  was  an  emergency  that  called  for  prompt 
action  ;  and,  running  back  to  the  hotel,  the  young 
man  paid  his  bill,  secured  his  bag,  and  gained  the 
steamer  just  as  that  fine  American-built  vessel  was 
about  to  take  her  departure  for  ports  of  the  upper 
Sound.  Shortly  afterwards,  a  little  beyond  the  har- 
bor mouth,  the  big,  brilliantly  lighted  steamer  swept 
past  a  small  dimly  outlined  craft,  on  whose  deck  some- 
body was  waving  a  lantern  so  that  she  might  not  be 
run  down. 

Of  course  it  has  been  understood  long  ere  this  that 
the  sloop  Fancy  was  a  smuggler.  She  was  not  only 
that,  but  was  also  the  boldest,  most  successful,  and 
most  troublesome  smuggler  on  Puget  Sound.  The 
one  person  at  all  acquainted  with  the  shabby  old 
craft  and  as  yet  unaware  of  her  true  character  was 
Alaric  Todd.  His  slight  knowledge  of  smugglers 


PUGET  SOUND  SMUGGLERS  69 

having  been  gained  through  books,  he  thought  of  them 
as  being  only  a  sort  of  half  pirates,  either  Spanish 
or  French,  who  flourished  during  the  last  century. 
Thus,  although  he  did  not  approve  of  either  the 
sloop's  passengers  or  cargo,  it  did  not  occur  to  him 
that  they  were  being  carried  in  defiance  of  law  until 
about  the  time  that  the  steamer's  lights  were  disap- 
pearing in  the  distance. 

The  boy's  hands  were  still  smarting  from  an  unac- 
customed hauling  on  ropes  that  had  resulted  in  hoist- 
ing the  big  main-sail,  and  now  he  lay  on  deck  well 
forward,  where  he  had  been  told  to  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out and  report  instantly  any  vessel  coming  within  his 
range  of  vision.  Before  a  fresh  beam  wind  the  Fancy 
was  slipping  rapidly  through  the  water,  with  Captain 
Duff  steering,  Bonny  doing  odd  jobs  about  deck,  and 
the  passengers  confining  themselves  closely  to  the 
hold.  After  the  young  mate  had  waved  his  signal 
lantern  to  the  steamer,  he  extinguished  both  it  and 
the  side  lights  that  had  been  burning  until  now,  leav- 
ing the  binnacle  lamp  carefully  shaded  as  the  only 
light  on  board.  With  nothing  more  to  do  at  present, 
he  threw  himself  down  beside  Alaric,  and  the  boys 
began  a  low-voiced  conversation. 

"  What  made  you  put  out  those  lights  ?"  asked  the 
latter.  "  I  thought  all  ships  carried  lights  at  night." 

"We  don't,"  laughed  Bonny.  "They'd  give  us 
away  to  the  cutters,  and  we'd  be  picked  up  in  less'n 
no  time.  I'm  mighty  glad  that  steamer  isn't  a  rev- 
enue-boat." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  she's  so  fast.  There's  only  one  craft  on 
the  Sound  can  beat  her,  and  that's  the  Flyer,  running 
between  Tacoma  and  Seattle.  This  City  of  Kingston 
is  a  good  one,  though.  She  used  to  be  a  crack  Hud- 
son River  boat,  and  came  out  here  around  the  Horn ; 


rO  RICK   DALE 

or,  rather,  not  exactly  that,  but  through  the  Strait 
of  Magellan.  That's  a  tough  place,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  I  suppose  it  is,"  replied  Alaric.  "  But,  Bonny, 
tell  me  something  more  about  those  cutters.  Why 
should  they  want  to  catch  us  ?" 

"  For  running  '  chinks '  and  ( dope/ ': 

"  What  harm  is  there  in  that  ?  Is  it  against  the 
law  ?" 

"I  should  rather  say  it  was.  There's  a  duty  of  ten 
dollars  a  pound  on  one,  and  the  others  aren't  allowed 
in  at  any  price." 

"  Then  I  don't  see  how  we  are  any  different  from 
regular  smugglers." 

"  That's  what  some  folks  call  us,"  replied  Bonny, 
with  a  grin.  "  They  are  mostly  on  the  other  side, 
though.  In  Victoria  they  call  us  free-traders." 

"It  doesn't  make  any  difference  what  anybody  calls 
us,"  retorted  Alaric,  vehemently,  "  so  long  as  we  our- 
selves know  what  we  are.  It  was  a  mean  thing, 
Bonny  Brooks,  that  you  didn't  tell  me  this  before 
we  started." 

"  Look  here,  Rick  Dale  !  do  you  pretend  you  didn't 
know  after  seeing  the  ' chinks'  and  the  'dope'  and 
all  that  was  going  on  ?  Oh,  come,  that's  too  thin  !" 

"  I  don't  care  whether  it's  thin  or  thick,"  rejoined 
Alaric,  stoutly.  "  I  didn't  know  that  I  was  shipping 
to  become  a  pirate,  or  you  may  be  very  certain  I'd 
have  sat  on  that  log  till  I  starved  before  going  one 
step  with  you." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  calling  me  a  pirate  ?"  de- 
manded Bonny,  indignantly.  "  I'm  no  more  a  pirate 
than  you  are,  for  all  your  fine  airs." 

In  his  excitement  Bonny  had  so  raised  his  voice  that 
it  reached  the  ears  of  Captain  Duff,  who  growled  out, 
fiercely:  "Stow  yer  jaw,  ye  young  swabs,  and  keep  a 
sharp  lookout  f or'ard — d'ye  hear  ?" 


PUGET   SOUND   SMUGGLERS  71 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  responded  the  young  mate,  rising 
as  though  to  end  the  unpleasant  conversation,  and 
peering  keenly  into  the  gloom. 

But  Alaric  was  not  inclined  to  let  the  subject  drop ; 
and,  with  an  idea  of  continuing  their  talk  in  so  low  a 
tone  that  it  could  not  possibly  reach  the  captain's  ears, 
he  too  started  to  rise. 

At  that  moment  the  sloop  gave  a  quick  lurch  that 
caused  him  to  plunge  awkwardly  forward.  He  was 
only  saved  from  going  overboard  by  striking  squarely 
against  Bonny,  who  was  balancing  himself  easily  in 
the  very  eyes  of  the  vessel,  with  one  foot  on  the  rail. 
The  force  of  the  blow  was  too  great  for  him  to  with- 
stand. With  a  gasping  cry  he  pitched  headlong  over 
the  bows  and  disappeared  from  his  comrade's  horrified 
gaze. 


CHAPTER  XI 
A  VERY  TRYING   EXPERIENCE 

"  STOP  her  !  Stop  the  boat,  quick  !  Bonny  is  over- 
board \"  shouted  Alaric,  frantically,  as  he  realized  the 
nature  of  the  catastrophe  that  had  just  occurred 
through  his  awkwardness.  As  he  shouted  he  sprang 
to  the  jib-halyard,  and,  casting  it  off,  allowed  the  sail 
to  come  down  by  the  run,  his  sole  idea  of  checking 
the  headway  of  a  sailing  craft  being  to  reduce  her 
canvas. 

He  was  about  to  let  go  both  throat  and  peak  hal- 
yards, and  so  bring  down  the  big  main -sail  also, 
when,  with  a  bellow  of  rage  and  a  marvellous  disre- 
gard of  his  lameness,  Captain  Duff  rushed  forward 
and  snatched  the  ropes  from  the  lad's  hands. 

"  You  thundering  blockhead  \"  he  roared.  "  What 
d'ye  mean  by  lowering  a  sail  without  orders  ?  H'ist  it 
again  !  H'ist  it,  d'ye  hear  ?" 

"  But  Bonny  is  overboard  I"  cried  Alaric. 

"And  you  want  to  leave  him  to  drown,  do  ye? 
Don't  ye  know  that  if  he's  alive  he's  drifted  astarn  by 
this  time  ?  Ef  you  had  any  sense  you'd  be  out  in  the 
dinghy  looking  fur  him." 

Alaric  knew  that  the  dinghy  was  the  small  boat 
towing  behind  the  sloop,  for  he  had  heard  the  young 
mate  call  it  by  that  name,  and  now  he  needed  no  fur- 
ther hint  as  to  his  duty.  He  had  pushed  Bonny  over- 
board, and  he  must  save  him  if  that  might  still  be 
done.  If  not,  he  was  careless  of  what  happened  to 


A   VERY  TRYING    EXPERIENCE  73 

himself.  Nothing  could  be  worse  than,  or  so  bad  as, 
to  go  through  life  with  the  knowledge  that  he  had 
caused  the  death  of  a  fellow-being — one,  too,  whom 
he  had  already  come  to  regard  as  a  dear  friend. 

Thus  thinking,  he  ran  aft,  cast  loose  the  painter  of 
the  dinghy,  drew  the  boat  to  the  sloop's  stern,  and, 
dropping  into  it,  drifted  away  in  the  darkness.  He 
had  never  rowed  a  boat,  nor  even  handled  a  pair  of 
oars,  but  he  had  seen  others  do  so,  and  imagined  that 
it  was  easy  enough. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  first  lesson  of  this  kind  is  taken 
alone,  at  midnight,  amid  the  tossing  waters  of  an  open 
sea,  and  it  could  not  have  happened  now  but  for  our 
poor  lad's  pitiful  ignorance  of  all  forms  of  athletics,  in- 
cluding those  in  which  every  boy  should  be  instructed. 

Without  a  thought  for  himself,  nor  even  a  compre- 
hension of  his  own  peril,  Alaric  fitted  the  oars  that  he 
found  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  to  their  rowlocks,  and 
began  to  pull  manfully  in  what  he  supposed  was  the 
proper  direction.  He  pulled  first  with  one  oar  and 
then  with  the  other  ;  then  making  a  wild  stroke  with 
both  oars  that  missed  the  water  entirely,  he  tumbled 
over  backwards.  Recovering  himself,  he  prepared 
more  cautiously  for  a  new  effort,  and  this  time,  instead 
of  beating  the  air,  thrust  his  oars  almost  straight  down 
in  the  water.  Then  one  entered  it,  while  the  other, 
missing  it  by  a  foot  or  so,  flew  back  and  struck  him  a 
violent  blow. 

Up  to  this  time  the  lad  had  kept  up  a  constant 
shouting  of  "  Bonny  !  Oh,  Bonny  !"  or  "  Hello,  Bon- 
ny !"  but  that  blow  bereft  him  of  so  much  breath  that 
for  a  minute  he  had  none  left  with  which  to  shout. 

Now,  too,  for  the  first  time,  he  gained  a  vague  idea 
of  his  own  perilous  situation.  There  was  nothing  in 
sight  and  nothing  to  be  heard  save  the  ceaseless  dash- 
ing of  waters  and  a  melancholy  moaning  of  wind. 


74  KICK   DALE 

The  sky  was  so  overcast  that  not  even  a  star  could  ex- 
tend to  him  a  cheery  ray  of  light.  The  boy's  heart 
sank,  and  he  made  another  attempt  at  a  shout,  as  much 
to  raise  his  own  spirits  as  with  any  hope  of  being  heard. 
Only  a  husky  cry  resulted,  for  his  voice  was  choked, 
and  he  again  strove  to  row,  with  the  thought  that  any 
form  of  action  would  be  better  than  idleness  amid  such 
surroundings. 

If  his  oars  seemed  vicious  before,  they  were  doubly 
so  now  that  he  was  wearied,  and  they  stubbornly  re- 
sisted his  efforts  to  make  them  work  as  he  knew  they 
could  and  ought.  At  length  he  let  go  of  one  of  them 
for  an  instant,  while  he  wiped  the  trickling  perspira- 
tion from  his  eyes.  The  moment  it  was  released,  the 
provoking  bit  of  wood,  as  though  possessed  of  a  ma- 
licious instinct,  slid  from  its  rowlock,  dropped  into 
the  water,  and  floated  away.  Alaric  made  a  wild  but 
ineffectual  clutch  after  it  that  allowed  a  quantity  of 
water  to  slop  into  the  boat,  and  gave  him  the  idea  that 
it  was  sinking. 

With  an  access  of  terror  the  poor  lad  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and,  forgetful  of  the  object  that  had  brought 
him  into  his  present  situation,  screamed  :  "Bonny! 
Oh,  Bonny  !  Save  me !  Don't  leave  me  here  to 
drown !" 

Then  a  spiteful  wave  so  buffeted  the  boat  that  he 
was  toppled  over  and  fell  sprawling  in  the  bottom. 
That  was  the  blackest  and  most  despairing  moment 
of  his  life ;  but  even  as  it  came  to  him  he  fancied  he 
heard  a  whispered  answer  to  his  call,  and  lifted  his 
head  to  listen.  Yes,  he  heard  it  again,  so  faint  and 
uncertain  that  it  might  be  only  the  mocking  scream 
of  some  sea-bird  winging  a  swift  flight  through  the 
blackness.  Still  the  idea  filled  him  with  hope,  and  he 
called  again  with  a  cry  so  shrill  and  long-drawn  that 
its  intensity  almost  frightened  him.  Now  the  echoing 


A  VEKY   TRYING   EXPERIENCE  76 

hail  was  certain,  and  it  came  to  him  with  the  unmis- 
takable accents  of  a  human  voice. 

Again  he  shouted:  "Bonny!  Oh,  Bonny  \"  and 
again  came  the  answer,  this  time  much  nearer  : 

"  Hello,  Kick  Dale  !    Hello  !" 

"Hello,  Bonny!     Hello!" 

How  could  it  be  that  Bonny  had  kept  himself  afloat 
so  long  ?  What  wonderful  powers  of  endurance  he 
must  possess !  How  should  he  reach  him  ?  There 
was  but  a  single  oar  left,  and  surely  no  one  could 
propel  a  boat  with  one  oar.  He  tried  awkwardly  to 
paddle,  but  after  a  few  seconds  of  fruitless  labor  gave 
this  up  in  despair.  What  could  he  do  ?  Must  he  sit 
there  idle,  knowing  that  his  friend  was  drowning 
within  sound  of  his  voice,  and  for  want  of  the  aid  that 
he  could  give  if  he  only  knew  how  ?  It  was  horrible 
and  yet  inevitable.  He  was  helpless.  Once  more 
was  his  own  peril  forgotten,  and  his  sole  distress  was 
for  his  friend.  Again  he  shouted,  with  the  energy  of 
despair : 

"  Bonny  !  Oh,  Bonny  !  Can't  you  get  to  me  ?  I'm 
in  a  boat." 

Then  came  something  so  startling  and  so  astonish- 
ing that  he  was  almost  petrified  with  amazement.  In- 
stead of  a  weak,  despairing  answer,  coming  from  a 
long  distance,  there  sounded  a  cheery  hail  from  close 
at  hand :  "  All  right,  old  man !  I'm  coming.  Cheer 
up." 

What  had  happened  ?  Was  his  friend  endowed 
with  supernatural  powers  that  enabled  him  to  trav- 
erse the  sea  at  will  ? 

Alaric  gazed  about  him  on  all  sides,  almost  doubt- 
ing the  evidence  of  his  senses.  Then,  with  a  flutter 
of  canvas  and  a  rush  of  water  from  under  her  bows, 
the  tall  form  of  the  sloop  loomed  out  of  the  blackness 
almost  beside  him. 


76  RICK   DALE 

"  Sing  out,  Rick.     Where  are  you  ?" 

"  Here  I  am.     Oh,  Bonny,  is  it  you  ?" 

"Yes,  of  course.     Look  out !     Catch  this  line." 

The  end  of  a  rope  came  whizzing  over  the  boat,  and 
Alaric,  catching  it,  held  on  tightly.  He  was  seated 
on  the  middle  thwart,  and  the  moment  a  strain  came 
on  the  line  the  boat  turned  broadside  to  it,  heeled  until 
water  began  to  pour  in  over  her  gunwale,  and  Alaric, 
unable  to  hold  on  an  instant  longer,  let  go  his  hold. 

He  heard  an  exclamation  of  "  Thundering  lubber  I" 
in  Captain  Duff's  voice,  and  then  the  sloop  was  again 
lost  to  sight. 

Again  Alaric  was  in  despair,  though  he  could  still 
hear  the  shouting  of  orders  and  a  confused  slatting 
of  sails.  After  a  little  the  sloop  was  put  about,  and 
a  shouting  to  determine  the  locality  of  the  drifting 
boat  was  recommenced.  Still  it  seemed  to  Alaric  a 
tedious  while  before  she  approached  him  for  a  second 
time,  and  Bonny  once  more  sung  out  to  him  to  stand 
by  and  catch  a  line. 

"  Make  it  fast  in  the  bow  this  time,"  he  called,  as 
he  flung  the  coil  of  rope. 

Again  Alaric  succeeded  in  catching  it,  and,  obey- 
ing instructions,  he  scrambled  into  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  where  he  knelt  and  clung  to  the  line  for  dear 
life,  not  knowing  how  to  make  it  fast. 

In  a  moment  there  came  a  jerk  that  very  nearly 
pulled  him  overboard  ;  and  the  boat,  with  its  bow  low 
in  the  water  from  his  weight,  while  its  stern  was  in 
the  air,  took  a  wild  sheer  to  one  side.  Again  water 
poured  in  until  she  was  nearly  swamped,  and  again 
was  the  line  torn  from  Alaric's  grasp. 

"  You  blamed  idiot  \"  roared  Captain  Duff.  "  You 
don't  desarve  to  be  saved  !  Fll  give  ye  just  one  more 
try,  and  ef  you  don't  fetch  the  sloop  that  time  we'll 
leave  ye  to  navigate  on  your  own  hook/' 


A  VERY  TRYIHG   EXPERIENCE  77 

As  the  previous  manoeuvres  were  repeated  for  a 
third  time,  poor  Alaric,  sitting  helplessly  in  his  water- 
logged dinghy,  shivered  with  apprehension.  How 
could  he  hold  on  to  that  cruel  line  that  seemed  only 
fitted  to  drag  him  to  destruction  ?  This  time  it  took 
longer  to  find  him,  and  he  was  hoarse  with  shouting 
before  the  Fancy  again  approached. 

"  He  don't  know  enough  to  do  anything  with  a  line, 
Cap'n  Duff/'  said  Bonny.  "  So  if  you'll  throw  the 
sloop  into  the  wind  and  heave  her  to,  I'll  bring  the 
boat  alongside." 

With  this,  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  the 
plucky  young  sailor,  who  had  already  divested  him- 
self of  most  of  his  clothing,  sprang  into  the  black 
waters  and  swam  towards  the  vaguely  discerned  boat. 
In  another  minute  he  had  gained  her,  clambered  in, 
and  was  asking  the  amazed  occupant  for  the  other  oar. 

"  It's  lost  overboard,"  replied  Alaric,  gloomily,  feel- 
ing that  the  case  was  now  more  desperate  than  ever. 
"Oh,  Bonny!  Why—?" 

"Never  mind,"  cried  the  other,  cheerily.  "I  can 
scull,  and  that  will  answer  just  as  well  as  rowing. 
Perhaps  better,  for  I  can  see  where  we  are  headed." 

Alaric  had  deemed  it  impossible  to  propel  a  boat 
with  a  single  oar ;  but  now,  to  his  amazement,  Bonny 
sculled  the  dinghy  ahead  almost  as  rapidly  as  he  could 
have  rowed.  The  sloop  was  out  of  sight,  but  the  flap- 
ping of  her  sails  could  be  plainly  heard,  and  five  min- 
utes later  the  young  mate  laid  his  craft  alongside. 

Captain  Duff  was  too  angry  for  words,  and  fortu- 
nately too  busy  in  getting  his  vessel  on  her  course  to 
pay  any  attention  just  then  to  the  lad  whose  awkward- 
ness and  ignorance  had  caused  all  this  trouble  and 
delay. 

"Skip  forward,"  said  Bonny,  in  a  low  tone,  "and 
I'll  come  directly." 


78  RICK   DALE 

As  Alaric,  with  a  thankful  heart,  obeyed  this  injunc- 
tion, he  marvelled  at  the  size  and  steadiness  of  the 
sloop,  and  wondered  how  he  could  ever  have  thought 
her  small  or  unstable. 

A  few  minutes  later  Bonny,  only  half  dressed, 
joined  him,  and  said,  "  If  you'll  lend  me  your  trousers, 
old  man,  you  can  turn  in  for  the  rest  of  the  night, 
and  I'll  stand  your  watch ;  mine  are  too  wet  to  put 
on  just  yet,  and  I  think  you'll  be  safer  below  than  on 
deck,  anyway." 

Like  a  person  in  a  dream,  and  without  asking  one 
of  the  many  questions  suggesting  themselves,  Alaric 
obeyed.  Earlier  in  that  most  eventful  day  he  had 
regarded  that  dark  and  stuffy  forecastle  with  disgust, 
and  vowed  he  would  never  sleep  in  it.  Now,  as  he 
snuggled  shivering  between  the  blankets  of  the  first 
mate's  own  bunk,  it  seemed  to  him  one  of  the  coziest, 
warmest,  and  most  comfortable  sleeping-apartments 
he  had  ever  known. 


CHAPTER  XII 
A   LESSON  IN   KEDGING 

FOR  a  long  time  Alaric  lay  awake  in  his  narrow 
bnnk,  listening  to  the  gurgle  of  waters  parted  by  the 
sloop's  bow,  but  a  few  inches  from  his  head,  and  re- 
flecting upon  the  exciting  incidents  of  the  past  hour. 
It  had  all  been  so  terrible  and  yet  so  unreal.  On  one 
thing  he  determined.  Never  again  would  he  enter  a 
boat  alone  without  having  first  learned  how  to  row, 
and  to  swim  also.  How  splendidly  Bonny  had  come 
to  his  rescue,  and  yet  how  easily  !  What  was  it  he  had 
called  making  a  boat  go  with  only  one  oar  ?  Alaric 
could  not  remember;  but  at  any  rate  it  was  a  won- 
derful thing  to  do,  and  he  determined  to  master  that 
art  as  well.  What  a  lot  he  had  to  learn,  anyhow,  and 
how  important  it  all  was !  He  had  longed  for  the 
ability  to  do  such  things,  but  never  until  now  had  he 
realized  their  value. 

How  well  Bonny  did  them,  and  what  a  fine  fellow 
he  was,  and  how  the  heart  of  the  poor  rich  boy  warmed 
towards  this  self-reliant  young  friend  of  a  day  !  Could 
it  be  but  one  day  since  their  first  meeting  ?  It  seemed 
as  though  he  had  known  Bonny  always.  But  how  had 
the  young  sailor  regained  the  sloop  after  being  knocked 
overboard  ?  That  was  unaccountable,  and  one  of  the 
most  mysterious  things  Alaric  had  ever  heard  of. 
He  longed  for  Bonny  to  come  below,  that  he  might  ask 
just  that  one  question ;  but  the  mate  was  otherwise 
engaged,  and  the  crew  finally  dropped  asleep. 


80  KICK   DALE 

Through  the  remainder  of  the  night  the  sloop  sailed 
swiftly  on  her  course ;  but  she  could  not  make  up  for 
that  lost  hour,  and  by  dawn,  though  she  had  passed  the 
light  on  Admiralty  Head,  and  was  well  to  the  south- 
ward of  Port  Townsend,  the  very  stronghold  of  her 
enemies,  for  it  is  the  port  of  entry  for  the  Sound,  she 
was  still  far  from  the  hiding-place  in  which  her  cap- 
tain had  hoped  to  lie  by  for  the  day.  However,  he 
knew  of  another  nearer  at  hand,  though  not  so  easy  of 
access,  and  to  this  he  directed  the  vessel's  course. 

It  did  not  seem  to  Alaric  that  he  had  been  asleep 
more  than  a  few  minutes  when  he  was  rudely  awak- 
ened by  being  hauled  out  of  his  bunk  and  dropped 
on  the  forecastle  floor.  At  the  same  time  he  became 
conscious  of  a  voice,  saying : 

"Wake  up  !  Wake  up.  Rick  Dale  !  Fve  been  call- 
ing you  for  the  last  five  minutes,  and  was  beginning 
to  think  you  were  dead.  Here  it  is  daylight,  with 
lots  of  work  waiting,  and  you  snoozing  away  as  though 
you  were  a  young  man  of  elegant  leisure.  So  tumble 
out  in  a  hurry,  or  else  you'll  have  the  cap'n  down  on 
you,  and  he's  no  light-weight  when  he's  as  mad  as  he 
is  this  morning." 

Never  before  in  all  his  luxurious  life  had  Alaric 
been  subjected  to  such  rough  treatment,  and  for  a 
moment  he  was  inclined  to  resent  it ;  but  a  single 
glance  at  Bonny's  smiling  face,  and  a  thought  of  how 
deeply  he  was  indebted  to  this  lad,  caused  him  to 
change  his  mind  and  scramble  to  his  feet. 

"Here  are  your  trousers,"  continued  the  young 
mate,  "and  the  quicker  you  can  jump  into  them  the 
better,  for  we've  a  jolly  bit  of  kedging  to  attend  to, 
and  need  your  assistance  badly." 

Filled  with  curiosity  as  to  what  a  "jolly  bit  of 
kedging"  might  be,  and  also  pleased  with  the  idea 
that  he  was  not  considered  utterly  useless,  Alaric 


A  LESSOK  IN   KEDGItfG  81 

hastily  dressed  and  hurried  on  deck.  There  the  sight 
of  a  number  of  Chinamen  recalled  with  a  shock  the 
nature  of  the  craft  on  which  he  was  shipped,  and  for 
an  instant  he  was  tempted  to  refuse  further  service  as 
a  member  of  her  crew.  A  moment's  reflection,  how- 
ever, convinced  him  that  the  present  was  not  the  time 
for  such  action,  as  it  could  only  result  in  disaster  to 
himself  and  in  extra  work  being  thrown  upon  Bonny. 

The  sun  had  not  yet  risen,  and  on  one  side  a  broad 
expanse  of  water  was  overlaid  with  a  light  mist.  On 
the  other  was  a  bold  shore  covered  with  forest  to  the 
water's  edge,  and  penetrated  by  a  narrow  inlet,  off  the 
mouth  of  which  the  sloop  lay  becalmed. 

Bonny  was  already  in  the  dinghy,  which  held  a  coil 
of  rope  having  a  small  anchor  attached  to  one  end. 
The  other  end  was  on  board  the  sloop  and  made  fast 
to  the  bitts. 

"When  I  reach  the  end  of  the  line  and  heave  the 
kedge  overboard,  you  want  to  haul  in  on  it,"  said  the 
young  mate,  "and  when  the  sloop  is  right  over  the 
kedge,  let  go  your  anchor.  Do  you  understand  ?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so." 

The  tide  had  just  turned  ebb,  and  was  beginning  to 
run  out  from  the  inlet  as  Bonny  dropped  the  kedge- 
anchor  overboard,  and  Alaric,  beginning  to  pull  with 
a  hearty  will  on  that  long,  wet  rope,  experienced  the 
first  delights  of  kedging.  Captain  Duff,  puffing  at  a 
short  black  pipe,  sat  by  the  tiller  and  steered,  while 
the  Chinese  passengers,  squatted  about  the  deck, 
watched  the  lad's  efforts  with  a  stolid  interest. 

At  length  the  end  of  the  rope  was  reached,  and 
Alaric,  with  aching  back  and  smarting  hands,  but 
beaming  with  the  consciousness  of  a  duty  well  per- 
formed, imagined  his  task  to  be  ended. 

"Let  go  your  anchor,"  ordered  Captain  Duff. 

When  this  was  done,  and  the  cable  made  fast  so 


83  RICK   DALE 

that  the  sloop  should  not  drift  back  when  the  kedge 
was  lifted,  Bonny  heaved  up  the  latter  and  got  it 
into  the  dinghy.  Then  he  sculled  still  farther  into 
the  inlet  until  the  end  of  the  long  line  was  once  more 
reached,  when  he  again  dropped  the  small  anchor  over- 
board, and  poor  Alaric  found,  to  his  dismay,  that  the 
whole  tedious  operation  was  to  be  repeated.  In  addi- 
tion to  what  he  had  done  before,  the  heavy  riding  an- 
chor was  now  to  be  lifted  from  the  bottom. 

As  the  boy  essayed  to  haul  in  its  cable  with  his 
hands,  Captain  Duff,  muttering  something  about  a 
"  lubberly  swab,"  stumped  forward,  and  showing  him 
how  to  use  the  windlass  for  this  purpose,  condescended 
to  hold  the  turn  while  the  perspiring  lad  pumped  away 
at  the  iron  lever.  When  the  anchor  was  lifted,  he  was 
directed  to  again  lay  hold  of  the  kedge-line  and  warp 
her  along  handsomely. 

Alaric  made  signs  to  the  Chinamen  that  they  should 
help  him;  but  they,  being  passengers  who  had  paid  for 
the  privilege  of  idleness  on  this  cruise,  merely  grinned 
and  shook  their  heads.  So  the  poor  lad  tugged  at  that 
heart-breaking  line  until  his  strength  was  so  exhausted 
that  the  sloop  ceased  to  make  perceptible  headway. 

At  this  Captain  Duff,  who  was  again  nodding  over 
the  tiller,  suddenly  woke  up,  rushed  among  his  pas- 
sengers with  brandished  crutch,  roaring  an  order  in 
pidgin  English  that  caused  them  to  jump  in  terror, 
lay  hold  of  the  line,  and  haul  it  in  hand  over  hand. 

Three  times  more  was  the  whole  weary  operation 
repeated,  until  at  length  the  sloop  was  snugly  an- 
chored behind  a  tree-grown  point  that  effectually  con- 
cealed her  from  anything  passing  in  the  Sound. 

"  Nice,  healthy  exercise,  this  kedging,"  remarked 
Bonny,  cheerfully,  as  he  came  on  board. 

"You  may  call  it  that,"  responded  Alaric,  gloomily, 
"but  I  call  it  the  most  killing  kind  of  work  I  ever 


A   LESSON  IN   REDOING  88 

heard  of,  and  if  there  is  any  more  of  it  to  be  done, 
somebody  else  has  got  to  do  it.  I  simply  won't,  and 
that's  all  there  is  about  it." 

"  Oh  phsaw  I"  laughed  the  young  mate,  as  he  lighted 
a  fire  in  the  galley  stove  and  began  preparations  for 
breakfast.  "This  morning's  job  was  only  child's  play 
compared  with  some  you'll  have  before  you've  been 
aboard  here  a  month." 

"  Which  I  never  will  be,"  replied  Alaric,  ' '  for  I'm 
going  to  resign  this  very  day.  I  suppose  this  is  the 
United  States  and  the  end  of  the  voyage,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  It's  the  States  fast  enough  ;  but  not  the  end  of  the 
run  by  a  good  bit.  We've  another  night's  sail  ahead 
of  us  before  we  come  to  that.  But  you  mustn't  think 
of  resigning,  as  you  call  it,  just  as  you  are  beginning 
to  get  the  hang  of  sailoring.  Think  how  lonely  I 
should  be  without  you  to  make  things  lively  and  in- 
teresting— as  you  did  last  night,  for  instance." 

"I  shall,  though,"  replied  Alaric,  decidedly,  "just 
as  quick  as  we  make  a  port ;  for  if  you  think  I'm  go- 
ing to  remain  in  the  smuggling  business  one  minute 
longer  than  I  can  help,  you're  awfully  mistaken.  And 
what's  more,  you  are  going  with  me,  and  we'll  hunt  for 
another  job — an  honest  one,  I  mean — together." 

"  I  am,  am  I  ?"  remarked  Bonny.  "  After  you  calling 
me  a  pirate,  too.  I  shouldn't  think  you'd  care  to  asso- 
ciate with  pirates." 

"  But  I  do  care  to  associate  with  you,"  responded 
Alaric,  earnestly,  "  for  I  know  I  couldn't  get  along  at 
all  without  you.  Besides,  after  the  splendid  way  you 
came  to  my  rescue  last  night,  I  don't  want  to  try. 
But  I  say,  Bonny,  how  did  you  ever  manage  to  get 
back  on  board  after  tumbling — I  mean,  after  I  knocked 
you — into  the  water  ?  It  seems  to  me  the  most  mys- 
terious thing  I  ever  heard  of." 

tf  Oh,  that  was  easy  enough  !"  laughed  the  young 


84  RICK   DALE 

mate,  lifting  the  lid  of  a  big  kettle  of  rice,  that  was 
boiling  merrily,  as  he  spoke.  "  You  see,  I  didn't 
wholly  fall  overboard.  That  is,  I  caught  on  the  bob- 
stay,  and  was  climbing  up  again  all  right  when  you 
let  the  jib  down  on  top  of  me,  nearly  knocking  me  into 
the  water  and  smothering  me  at  the  same  time.  When 
I  got  out  from  under  it  you  were  gone,  and  a  fine  hunt 
we  had  for  you,  during  which  the  old  man  got  con- 
siderably excited.  But  all's  well  that  ends  well,  as 
the  Japs  said  after  the  war  was  over ;  so  now  if  you'll 
make  a  pot  of  coffee,  I'll  get  the  pork  ready  for  fry- 
ing." 

"But  I  don't  know  how  to  make  coffee." 
"  Don't  you  ?    I   thought   everybody   knew   that. 
Never  mind,  though ;  I'll  make  the  coffee  while  you 
fry  the  meat." 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  do  that,  either." 
"Don't  you  know  how  to  cook  anything  ?" 
"No.    I  don't  believe  I  could  even  boil  water  with- 
out burning  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Bonny,  "  you  certainly  have  got  more 
to  learn  than  any  fellow  old  enough  to  walk  alone 
that  I  ever  knew." 

The  sloop  remained  in  her  snug  hiding-place  all  that 
day,  during  which  her  captain  and  first  mate  devoted 
most  of  their  time  to  sleeping.  The  Chinamen  spent 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  on  shore,  while  Alaric,  fol- 
lowing Bonny's  advice,  made  his  first  attempt  at  fish- 
ing. So  long  as  he  only  got  bites  he  had  no  trouble ; 
but  when  he  finally  caught  an  enormous  flounder 
his  occupation  was  gone,  for  he  had  no  second  hook, 
and  could  not  imagine  how  the  fish  was  to  be  removed 
from  the  one  to  which  it  was  attached.  So  he  let  it 
carefully  down  into  the  water  again,  and  made  the 
line  fast  until  Bonny  should  wake.  When  that  hap- 
pened, and  he  triumphantly  hauled  in  his  line,  he 


A  LESSON  IN  KEDGING  85 

found,  to  his  dismay,  that  his  hook  was  bare,  and  that 
the  fish  had  solved  his  problem  for  him. 

In  the  meantime  there  was  much  activity  that  day 
on  board  a  certain  revenue-cutter  stationed  in  the  up- 
per Sound,  and  shortly  after  dark,  about  the  time  the 
smuggler  Fancy  was  again  getting  under  way,  several 
well-manned  boats  left  the  government  vessel  to  spend 
the  night  in  patrolling  certain  channels. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
CHASING  A   MYSTERIOUS   LIGHT 

THE  commander  of  the  revenue-cutter  had  received 
from  his  lieutenant  a  detailed  description  of  the  sloop 
Fancy,  together  with  what  other  information  that 
officer  had  gathered  concerning  her  destination,  lad- 
ing, and  crew.  As  a  result  of  this  interview  it  was 
determined  to  guard  all  passages  leading  to  the  upper 
Sound ;  and  during  the  hours  of  darkness  the  cutter's 
boats,  under  small  sail,  cruised  back  and  forth  across 
the  channels  on  either  side  of  Vashon  Island,  one  of 
which  the  sloop  must  take.  They  showed  no  lights, 
and  their  occupants  were  not  allowed  to  converse  in 
tones  louder  than  a  whisper.  While  half  of  each  crew 
got  what  sleep  they  might  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
the  others  were  on  watch  and  keenly  alert.  In  the 
stern-sheets  of  each  boat  sat  an  officer  muffled  in  a 
heavy  ulster  as  a  protection  against  the  chill  dampness 
of  the  night. 

The  night  was  nearly  spent  and  dawn  was  at  hand 
when  the  weary  occupants  of  one  of  these  patrol-boats 
were  aroused  into  activity  by  two  bright  lights  that 
flashed  in  quick  succession  for  an  instant  well  over  on 
the  western  side  of  their  channel,  which  was  the  one 
known  as  Colvos  Passage. 

"It  is  a  signal,"  said  the  officer,  as  he  headed 
his  boat  in  that  direction.  "  Silence,  men  !  Have 
your  oars  ready  for  a  chase." 

Shortly  afterwards  another  light  appeared  on  the 


CHASING    A   MYSTERIOUS   LIGHT  87 

water  in  the  same  general  direction,  but  farther  down 
the  channel.  It  showed  steadily  for  a  minute,  and 
was  then  lost  to  view,  only  to  reappear  a  few  moments 
later.  After  that  its  continued  appearance  and  dis- 
appearance proved  most  puzzling,  until  the  officer 
solved  the  problem  to  his  own  satisfaction  by  saying  : 

"  The  careless  rascals  have  come  to  anchor,  and  are 
sending  their  stuff  ashore  in  a  small  boat.  That  light 
is  the  lantern  they  are  working  by ;  but  I  wouldn't 
have  believed  even  they  could  be  so  reckless  as  to  use 
it.  Douse  that  sail  and  unship  the  mast.  So.  Now, 
out  oars  !  Give  'way  !" 

As  the  boat  sprang  forward  under  this  new  impulse, 
its  oars,  being  muffled  in  the  row-locks,  gave  forth  no 
sound  save  the  rhythmic  swish  with  which  they  left 
the  water  at  the  end  of  each  stroke. 

The  row  was  not  a  long  one,  and  within  five  minutes 
the  boat  was  close  to  the  mysterious  light.  No  sound 
came  from  its  vicinity,  nor  was  there  any  loom  of 
masts  or  sails  through  the  blackness.  Were  they  close 
to  it,  after  all  ?  Might  it  not  be  brighter  than  they 
thought,  and  still  at  a  distance  from  them  ?  Its  nature 
was  such  that  the  officer  could  not  determine  even  by 
standing  up,  and  for  a  few  moments  he  was  greatly 
puzzled.  He  could  now  see  that  the  land  was  at  a 
greater  distance  than  a  smuggler  would  choose  to 
cover  with  his  small  boats  when  he  might  just  as  well 
run  his  craft  much  closer.  What  could  it  mean  ? 

Suddenly  he  gave  the  orders :  "  'Way  enough  !  In 
oars  !  Look  sharp  there  f  or'ard  with  your  boat-hook  \" 

The  next  moment  the  twinkling  light  was  alongside, 
and  its  mystery  was  explained.  It  was  an  old  lantern 
lashed  to  a  bit  of  a  board  that  was  in  turn  fastened 
across  an  empty  half -barrel.  A  screen  formed  of  a 
shingle  darkened  one  side  of  the  lantern,  so  that,  as 
the  floating  tub  was  turned  by  wind  or  wave,  the 


88  RICK   DALE 

light  alternately  showed  and  disappeared  at  irregular 
intervals. 

That  the  lieutenant  who  was  the  victim  of  this 
simple  ruse  was  angry  goes  without  saying.  He  was 
furious,  and  could  he  have  captured  its  author  just 
then,  that  ingenious  person  might  have  met  with 
rough  usage.  But  there  seemed  little  chance  of  cap- 
turing him,  for  although  the  officer  felt  certain  that 
this  tub  had  been  launched  from  the  very  smuggler  he 
was  after,  he  had  no  idea  of  where  she  now  was,  or 
of  what  direction  she  had  taken.  All  he  knew  was 
that  somebody  had  warned  her  of  danger  in  that 
channel,  and  that  she  had  cleverly  given  him  the  slip. 
He  could  also  imagine  the  "  chaff  "  he  would  receive 
from  his  brother  officers  on  the  cutter  when  they  should 
learn  of  his  mortifying  experience. 

When,  after  cruising  fruitlessly  during  the  brief 
remainder  of  the  night,  he  returned  to  his  ship  and 
reported  what  had  taken  place,  he  was  chaffed,  as  he 
expected,  but  was  enabled  to  bear  this  with  equanim- 
ity, for  he  had  made  a  discovery.  On  the  shingle  that 
had  shaded  the  old  lantern  he  found  written  in  pencil 
as  though  for  the  passing  of  an  idle  half -hour,  and 
apparently  by  some  one  who  wished  to  see  how  his 
name  would  look  if  he  were  a  foreigner  : 

"Philip  Kyder,  Mr.  Philip  Kyder,  Monsieur  Phil- 
ippe Kyder,  Signor  Filipo  Kyder,  Senor  Felipe  Kyder, 
and  Herr  Philip  Ryder." 

' '  It's  the  name  of  the  young  chap  who  led  me  such 
a  chase  in  Victoria,  and  finally  gave  me  the  information 
I  wanted  concerning  the  sloop  Fancy"  said  the  lieu- 
tenant to  his  commanding  officer,  in  reporting  this 
discovery. 

"  Which  would  seem  to  settle  the  identity  of  the 
sloop  we  are  after,  and  prove  that  she  is  now  some- 
where close  at  hand,"  replied  the  commander. 


CHASING  A   MYSTERIOUS   LIGHT  89 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  it  also  discloses  the  identity  of  the 
young  rascal  who  is  responsible  for  this  trick, 
though  from  his  looks  I  wouldn't  have  believed  him 
capable  of  it.  He  is  the  one  I  told  you  of  who  was  so 
scented  with  cologne  as  to  be  offensive.  I  remember 
well  seeing  the  name  Philip  Eyder  on  his  dunnage- 
bag." 

The  sun  was  just  rising,  and  at  this  moment  a 
report  was  brought  to  the  cabin,  from  a  masthead 
lookout,  to  the  effect  that  a  small  sloop  was  disap- 
pearing behind  a  point  a  few  miles  to  the  southward. 

"  It  may  be  your  boat,  and  it  may  be  some  other," 
said  the  commander  to  the  third  lieutenant.  "At 
any  rate,  it  is  our  duty  to  look  him  up.  So  you  will 
please  get  under  way  again  with  the  yawl,  run  down 
to  that  point,  and  see  what  you  can  find.  If  you  meet 
with  your  young  friend  Eyder  either  afloat  or  ashore, 
don't  fail  to  arrest  and  detain  him  as  a  witness,  for 
in  any  case  his  testimony  will  be  most  important." 

The  Fancy  had  hauled  out  of  her  snug  berth  soon 
after  sunset  that  same  night,  and  fanned  along  by  a 
light  breeze,  held  her  course  to  the  southward.  Both 
our  lads  were  stationed  forward  to  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out, though  with  a  grim  warning  from  Captain 
Duff  that  if  either  of  them  fell  overboard  this  time,  he 
might  as  well  make  up  his  mind  to  swim  ashore,  for 
the  sloop  would  not  be  stopped  to  pick  him  up. 

"Cheerful  prospect  for  me,"  muttered  Alaric. 
"  Never  mind,  though,  Mr.  Captain,  Fm  going  to 
desert,  as  did  the  Phil  Ryder  of  whom  you  seem  so 
fond.  I  am  going  to  follow  his  example,  too,  in  tak- 
ing your  first  mate  with  me." 

As  on  the  previous  night,  the  lads  found  an  oppor- 
tunity to  talk  in  low  tones ;  and  filled  with  the  idea 
of  inducing  Bonny  to  leave  the  sloop  with  him,  Alaric 
strove  to  convince  him  of  the  wickedness  of  smuggling. 


90  RICK   DALE 

"  It  is  breaking  a  law  of  your  country,"  he  argued  ; 
"and  any  one  who  breaks  one  law  will  be  easily 
tempted  to  break  another,  until  there's  no  saying 
where  he  will  end." 

"If  we  didn't  do  it,  some  other  fellows  would," 
replied  Bonny.  "  The  chinks  are  bound  to  travel, 
and  folks  are  bound  to  have  cheap  dope." 

"  So  you  are  breaking  the  law  to  save  some  other 
fellow's  conscience  ?" 

"  No,  of  course  not.  Fm  doing  it  for  the  wages  it 
pays." 

"  Which  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  you  would  break 
any  law  if  you  were  paid  enough." 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  fellow  as  you  are  for  putting 
things  in  an  unpleasant  way,"  retorted  the  young 
mate,  a  little  testily.  "Of  course  there  are  plenty  of 
laws  I  couldn't  be  hired  to  break.  I  wouldn't  steal, 
for  instance,  even  if  I  were  starving,  nor  commit  a 
murder  for  all  the  money  in  the  world.  But  I'd  like 
to  know  what's  the  harm  in  running  a  cargo  like 
ours  ?  A  few  Chinamen  more  or  less  will  never  be 
noticed  in  a  big  place  like  the  United  States.  Be- 
sides, I  think  the  law  that  says  they  sha'n't  come  in 
is  an  unjust  one,  anyway.  We  haven't  any  more  right 
to  keep  Chinamen  out  of  a  free  country  than  we  have 
to  keep  out  Italians  or  anybody  else." 

"  So  you  claim  to  be  wiser  than  the  men  who  make 
our  laws,  do  you  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

Without  answering  this  question,  Bonny  continued  : 
"  As  for  running  in  a  few  pounds  of  dope,  we  don't 
rob  anybody  by  doing  that." 

"  How  about  robbing  the  government  ?" 

"  Oh,  that  don't  count.  What's  a  few  dollars  more 
or  less  to  a  government  as  rich  as  ours  ?" 

"  Which  is  saying  that  while  you  wouldn't  steal 
from  any  one  person,  you  don't  consider  it  wicked 


CHASING    A    MYSTERIOUS    LIGHT  91 

to  steal  from  sixty  millions  of  people.  Also,  that  it 
is  perfectly  right  to  rob  a  government  because  it  is 
rich.  Wouldn't  it  be  just  as  right  to  rob  Mr.  Van- 
derbilt  or  Mr.  Astor,  or  even  my — I  mean  any  other 
millionaire  ?  They  are  rich,  and  wouldn't  feel  the 
loss." 

"  I  never  looked  at  it  in  that  way/'  replied  Bonny, 
thoughtfully. 

" I  thought  not/'  rejoined  Alaric.  "And  there  are 
some  other  points  about  this  business  that  I  don't  be- 
lieve you  ever  looked  at,  either.  Did  you  ever  stop 
to  think  that  every  Chinaman  you  help  over  the  line 
at  once  sets  to  work  to  throw  one  of  your  own  coun- 
trymen out  of  a  job,  and  so  robs  him  of  his  living  ?" 

"  No ;  I  can't  say  I  ever  did." 

"  Or  did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  every  cargo  of 
opium  you  help  to  bring  into  the  country  is  going 
to  carry  sorrow  and  suffering,  perhaps  even  ruin,  to 
hundreds  of  your  own  people  ?" 

' '  I  say,  Rick  Dale,  it  seems  to  me  you  know  enough 
to  be  a  lawyer.  At  any  rate,  you  know  too  much  to 
be  a  sailor,  and  ought  to  be  in  some  other  business." 

"No,  Bonny,  I  don't  know  half  enough  to  be  a 
sailor ;  but  I  do  know  too  much  to  be  a  smuggler, 
and  I  am  going  to  get  into  some  other  business  as 
quick  as  I  can.  You  are  too,  now  that  you  have 
begun  to  think  about  it,  for  you  are  too  honest  a 
fellow  to  hold  your  present  position  any  longer  than 
you  can  help.  By-the-way,  what  would  happen  if  a 
cutter  should  get  after  us  to-night  ?" 

"  That  depends,"  replied  the  first  mate,  sagely,  glad 
to  feel  that  there  were  some  legal  questions  concern- 
ing which  he  was  wiser  than  his  companion.  "  They 
might  fire  on  us,  if  we  didn't  stop  quick  enough  to 
suit  'em,  and  blow  us  out  of  the  water.  They  might 
capture  us,  clap  us  into  irons,  and  put  us  into  a  dark 


92  RICK   DALE 

lock-up  on  bread  and  water.  The  most  likely  thing 
is  that  we  would  all  be  sent  to  the  government  prison 
on  McNeil's  Island.  From  there  the  chinks  would  be 
hustled  back  to  Victoria,  and  the  old  man  would  get 
out  on  bond ;  but  you  and  I  would  be  held  as  wit- 
nesses until  a  court  was  ready  to  condemn  the  vessel 
and  cargo.  That  would  probably  take  some  months, 
perhaps  a  year.  Then  the  case  would  be  appealed, 
and  we'd  be  kept  in  prison  for  another  year  or  so. 

"  And  I  suppose  if  we  ever  got  out  we  would  al- 
ways be  watched  and  suspected,"  suggested  Alaric, 
who  had  listened  to  all  this  with  almost  as  much  dis- 
may as  though  it  were  an  actual  sentence.  "  Well,  I'll 
never  be  caught,  that's  all.  I'll  drift  away  in  the 
dinghy  first."  In  saying  this  the  boy  threatened  to 
do  the  very  most  desperate  thing  he  could  think  of. 

"I  believe  I'd  go  with  you/'  said  Bonny.  "Now, 
though,  I  must  go  and  get  ready  our  private  signal,  for 
we  are  getting  close  to  the  most  dangerous  place." 


CHAPTER   XIV 
BONNY'S   INVENTION,  AND   HOW   IT  WORKED 

BONNY  walked  aft,  exchanged  a  few  words  with 
Captain  Duff,  and  then  disappeared  in  the  cabin, 
where  he  remained  for  some  minutes.  When  he  again 
came  on  deck  he  bore  a  box  in  which  was  a  lighted 
lamp  provided  with  a  bright  reflector.  Only  one 
side  of  the  box  was  open,  and  this  space  the  lad  care- 
fully shielded  with  his  hat.  The  sloop  was  just  en- 
tering Colvos  Passage,  between  Vashon  Island  and  the 
mainland,  and  was  nearer  the  western  shore  than  the 
other. 

Holding  his  box  as  far  down  as  he  could  reach 
over  the  landward  side  of  the  vessel,  Bonny  turned 
its  opening  towards  the  shore,  and  allowed  the  bright 
light  to  stream  from  it  for  a  single  second.  Then 
by  quickly  reversing  the  box  the  light  was  made  to 
disappear.  A  moment  later  it  was  shown  again,  this 
time  with  a  piece  of  red  glass  held  in  the  front  of  the 
lamp.  This  red  light,  after  appearing  for  a  single 
second,  was  also  made  to  vanish,  and  another  quick 
flash  of  white  light  took  its  place.  A  minute  or  so 
later  the  whole  operation  was  repeated,  and  the  white, 
red,  and  white  signal  was  again  flashed  to  the  wooded 
shore.  At  the  fourth  time  of  displaying  the  signal 
it  was  answered  by  two  white  flashes  from  the  shore. 

There  was  a  moment  of  suspense,  and  then  Bonny 
exclaimed,  in  a  low  tone,  "  Great  Scott !  They're  after 
us!" 


94  RICK    DALE 

Extinguishing  his  light,  he  again  dived  below,  this 
time  into  the  forecastle.  When  he  reappeared  he 
bore  the  float  and  lighted  lantern  already  described. 
Alaric  had  noticed  this  queer  contrivance  the  day  be- 
fore, and,  while  wondering  at  its  object,  had  amused 
himself  by  idly  scribbling  on  a  smooth  shingle  that 
he  found  inside  the  tub.  Now  this  same  shingle  was 
hastily  lashed  to  the  lantern,  and  the  whole  affair  was 
launched  overboard.  At  the  same  time  the  sloop  was 
put  about,  and  leaving  this  decoy  light  floating  and 
bobbing  behind  her  as  -though  it  were  in  a  boat,  she 
sped  away  towards  the  eastern  side  of  the  channel. 

When  Bonny  rejoined  Alaric  at  the  lookout  station 
he  asked,  with  a  chuckle  :  "  What  do  you  think  of 
that  for  a  scheme,  Rick  ?  It's  my  own  invention,  and 
I've  been  longing  for  a  chance  to  try  it  every  trip  ; 
but  this  is  the  very  first  time  we  have  needed  anything 
of  the  kind.  I  only  hope  the  light  won't  get  blown 
out,  or  the  whole  business  get  capsized  before  the 
beaks  capture  it.  My  !  how  I'd  like  to  see  'em  creep- 
ing up  to  it,  and  hear  their  remarks  when  they  find 
out  what  it  really  is  !" 

"What  does  all  this  flashing  of  lights  and  setting 
lanterns  adrift  mean,  anyway?"  asked  Alaric,  who 
was  much  puzzled  by  what  had  just  taken  place. 

"Means  there's  a  revenue-boat  of  some  kind  wait- 
ing for  us  in  the  channel,  and  that  we  are  dodging 
him.  The  lights  I  showed  made  our  private  signal, 
and  asked  if  the  coast  was  clear.  Skookum  John 
didn't  get  on  to  'em  at  first,  or  maybe  he  wasn't  in  a 
safe  place  for  answering.  When  he  saw  us  and  got 
the  chance,  though,  he  flashed  two  lights  to  warn  us 
of  trouble.  Three  would  have  meant  'All  right,  come 
ahead ' ;  but  two  was  a  startler.  It  was  the  first  time 
we've  had  that  signal ;  also  it's  the  first  chance  I've  had 
to  test  my  invention." 


BONNY'S  INVENTION  STARTED  ON  ITS  JOURNEY" 


BONNY'S   INVENTION,  AND   HOW  IT   WORKED       95 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  actually  expect  that  floating 
lantern  to  attract  the  revenue  people,  so  they  will 
go  to  examine  it,  instead  of  coming  after  us  ?" 

"  Attract  'em  !  Of  course  it  will.  They'll  go  for  it 
the  same  as  June  bugs  go  for  street  electrics,  and  then 
they'll  wish  they  had  spent  their  time  hunting  for  us 
instead." 

Ever  since  leaving  the  dancing  light  Bonny  had  not 
been  able  to  take  his  eyes  from  it,  so  anxious  was  he 
to  discover  whether  or  not  it  served  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  intended.  It  grew  fainter  and  smaller 
as  the  sloop  gained  distance  on  her  new  course. 
Then  all  at  once  it  seemed  to  rise  from  the  water,  and 
an  instant  later  disappeared. 

"  They've  got  it,  and  lifted  it  aboard!"  cried  Bonny, 
delightedly.  And  in  his  exultation  he  called  out,  "  The 
beaks  have  doused  the  glim,  Cap'n  Duff  !" 

"  Douse  your  tongue,  ye  swab,  and  keep  your  eyes 
p'inted  for'ard  !"  was  the  ungracious  reply  muttered 
out  of  the  after  darkness. 

"  What  an  old  bear  he  is  I"  murmured  Alaric,  in- 
dignantly. 

"  Yes  ;  isn't  he  ? — a  regular  old  sea-bear  ?  But  I 
don't  mind  him  any  more  than  I  would  a  rumble  of 
imitation  thunder.  I  say,  though,  Eick,  isn't  this 
jolly  exciting  ?" 

"Yes,"  admitted  the  other,  "it  certainly  is." 

"  And  you  want  me  to  quit  it  for  some  stupid  shore 
work  that'll  make  a  fellow  think  he's  got  about  as 
much  life  in  him  as  a  clam  ?" 

"  No,  I  don't ;  for  I  am  certain  there  are  just  as 
exciting  things  to  be  done  on  shore  as  at  sea ;  and 
if  you'll  only  promise  to  come  with  me  I'll  promise 
to  find  something  for  you  to  do  as  exciting  as  this, 
and  lots  honester." 

" I've  a  mind  to  take  you  up,"  said  Bonny,  "and  I 


96  KICK   DALE 

would  if  I  thought  you  had  any  idea  how  hard  it  is 
to  find  a  job  of  any  kind.  You  haven't,  though,  and 
because  you  got  this  berth  dead  easy  you  think  you'll 
have  the  same  luck  every  time.  But  we  must  look 
sharp  now  for  another  light  from  Skookum  John." 

By  this  time  the  sloop  had  again  tacked,  and  was 
headed  diagonally  for  the  western  shore. 

"Who  is  Skookum  John  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

"  Skookum  ?  Why,  he's  our  Si  wash  runner,  who  is 
always  on  the  lookout  for  us,  and  keeps  us  posted." 

"What  is  a  Siwash  ?" 

"  Well,  if  you  aren't  ignorant !  'Specially  about  lan- 
guages. Why,  Siwash  is  Chinook  for  Indian.  There's 
his  light  now  !  See  ?  One,  two,  three.  Good  enough ! 
We've  given  'em  the  slip  once  more,  and  everything 
is  working  our  way." 

By  the  time  Bonny  had  reported  this  bit  of  news  to 
Captain  Duff,  and  held  the  tiller  while  the  old  sea- 
dog  cautiously  lighted  the  pipe  he  had  not  dared 
smoke  all  night,  dawn  was  breaking,  and  the  skipper 
began  to  look  anxiously  for  the  harbor  he  had  hoped 
to  make  by  sunrise. 

As  it  grew  lighter  Bonny  pointed  out  the  now 
distant  masts  of  the  cutter  they  had  so  successfully 
passed  a  short  time  before,  and  said,  with  a  cheerful 
grin:  "There's  the  old  kettle  that  thought  she  could 
clip  the  Fancy's  wings,  and  bring  her  to  with  a  round 
turn.  But  she  missed  it  this  time,  as  she  will  many 
another  if  I'm  not  mistaken." 

Captain  Duff  also  sighted  the  far-away  cutter,  and, 
nervous  as  an  owl  at  being  caught  outside  his  hiding- 
place  by  daylight,  laid  all  the  blame  of  their  late 
arrival  on  poor  Alaric. 

"  If  it  hadn't  been  for  your  fool  antics  of  two  nights 
ago,"  he  said,  "we'd  made  this  port  a  good  hour  afore 
sun  this  morning.  You're  as  wuthless  as  ye  look, 


BONNY'S  INVENTION,  AND  HOW  IT  WORKED     97 

and  ye  look  to  be  the  most  wuthless  young  swab  I 
ever  had  aboard  ship,  barring  one.  He  was  another 
just  such  white-faced,  white-handed,  mealy-mouthed 
specimen  as  you  be.  Couldn't  eat  ship's  victuals  till 
I  starved  him  to  it,  and  finally  got  me  into  the  wust 
scrape  of  my  life.  Now  I  shouldn't  be  one  mite  sur- 
prised ef  you'd  put  me  into  another  hole  mighty  nigh 
as  deep.  So  you  want  to  quit  your  nonsense  and 
'tend  strictly  to  business,  or  I'll  make  ye  jump.  D'ye 
hear  ?  I'll  make  ye  jump,  I  say." 

Alaric  acknowledged  that  he  heard,  and  then 
walked  forward  to  light  the  galley  fire  and  set  a 
kettle  of  water  on  to  boil,  for  he  was  very  hungry,  and 
proposed  to  have  some  breakfast  as  quickly  as  possible. 

The  sloop  rounded  a  long  point  and  came  to  anchor 
in  a  wooded  cove,  apparently  as  wild  as  though  they 
were  its  discoverers.  A  couple  of  Chinamen,  who 
had  evidently  camped  there  all  night,  waited  to  greet 
their  countrymen  on  the  beach,  to  which  Bonny  at 
once  began  to  transfer  his  passengers,  a  few  at  a 
time,  in  the  dinghy.  As  fast  as  they  were  landed 
they  were  led  back  into  the  woods  and  started  towards 
Tacoma,  which  was  but  a  few  miles  distant. 

Alaric,  who  was  determined  not  to  remain  aboard 
the  sloop  longer  than  was  necessary  to  get  the  break- 
fast to  which  he  felt  entitled  after  his  night's  work, 
managed  to  get  his  canvas  bag  on  deck  unseen  by 
Captain  Duff,  and  slip  it  into  the  dinghy  as  the  boat 
was  about  to  make  its  last  trip. 

"Hide  it  on  shore  for  me,  Bonny," he  said. 

"  All  right ;  I  will  if  you'll  promise  not  to  skip 
until  we've  had  another  talk  on  the  subject." 

"  Of  course  I  promise  ;  for  I'm  not  going  without 
you." 

"Then  perhaps  you  won't  go  at  all,"  laughed 
Bonny, 


98  HICK   DALE 

So  the  bag  was  taken  ashore  and  concealed  in  a 
thicket  a  little  to  one  side,  and  Bonny  came  back  to 
prepare  breakfast,  for  which  Alaric  had  the  water  al- 
ready boiling. 

When  this  meal  was  nearly  ready,  and  as  the  boys 
were  sniffing  hungrily  at  the  odors  of  coffee  and  fry- 
ing meat,  Captain  Duff  suddenly  appeared  on  deck. 

' '  Go  up  on  that  point,  you  foremast  hand — I  can't 
remember  your  thundering  name  —  and  watch  the 
cutter  while  me  and  the  mate  eats.  After  that  one 
of  us  '11  relieve  ye.  Ef  she  moves,  or  even  shows 
black  smoke,  you  let  me  know,  d'ye  hear  ?" 

Wishing  to  rebel,  but  not  daring  to,  and  feeling 
that  he  should  surely  starve  if  kept  from  his  break- 
fast many  minutes  longer,  Alaric  obeyed  this  order. 
He  managed  to  secure  a  couple  of  hard  biscuit  with 
which  to  comfort  his  lonely  watch,  and  then  Bonny 
set  him  ashore. 

Picking  up  his  bag  and  carrying  it  with  him,  the 
boy  clambered  to  the  point,  and,  selecting  a  place 
from  which  he  could  plainly  see  the  cutter,  began  his 
watch,  at  the  same  time  munching  his  dry  biscuit 
with  infinite  relish.  Much  of  the  water  intervening 
between  him  and  the  cutter  was  hidden  from  view  by 
near-by  undergrowth,  and  the  necessity  for  scanning 
it  never  occurred  to  him. 

After  a  while  Bonny  came  to  relieve  him  and 
allow  him  to  go  to  breakfast. 

"  Have  you  really  made  up  your  mind  to  desert  the 
ship  ?"  asked  the  young  mate,  noticing  that  Alaric 
had  his  bag  with  him. 

"  Yes,  I  really  have,"  answered  the  other;  "  and  you 
will  come  with  me,  won't  you,  Bonny  ?" 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  the  latter,  undecidedly. 
"  Somehow  I  can't  make  it  seem  right  to  desert  Cap- 
tain Duff  and  leave  him  in  a  fix.  Seems  to  me  we 


BONNY'S   INVENTION,  AND   HOW   IT   WORKED      99 

ought  to  stay  with  him  until  he  gets  back  to  Victoria, 
anyway.     Besides,  I'd  lose  my  wages,  and  there  must 
be  nearly  thirty  dollars  due  me  by  this  time.     But 
you  go  along  to  your  breakfast,  and  after  that  we'll 
talk  it  all  over.     Haven't  seen  anything,  have  you  ?" 
"  No,  not  a  sign,  but—    Hello  !     What's  that  ?" 
"  Caught,  as  sure  as  you're  born  !"  cried   Bonny, 
in  a  tone  of  suppressed  excitement. 

Then,  the  two  lads,  peering  through  the  bushes, 
watched  a  boat,  flying  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
Revenue  Marine  and  filled  with  sturdy  bluejackets, 
enter  the  cove  and  dash  alongside  the  smuggler 
Fancy. 


CHAPTER   XV 
CAPTURED   BY   A    REVENUE-CUTTER 

THE  sight  of  that  armed  boat  making  fast  to  the 
sloop,  and  its  agile  occupants  springing  on  board, 
was  so  startling  to  the  two  lads  taking  in  its  every 
detail  from  their  point  of  vantage  on  shore,  that  if 
excitement  could  have  affected  Alaric  Todd's  heart 
it  would  certainly  have  done  so  at  that  moment.  As 
it  was,  he  did  not  even  realize  that  his  heart  was  beat- 
ing unusually  fast.  His  mind  was  too  full  of  other 
thoughts  just  then  for  him  to  remember  that  he  had 
a  heart.  He  only  realized  that  the  vessel  of  which 
he  had  formed  the  crew  had  fallen  into  the  clutches 
of  outraged  law,  and  that  for  the  present  at  least 
her  career  as  a  smuggler  was  at  an  end.  Now  that 
she  was  really  captured,  he  was  conscious  of  a  regret 
that  after  successfully  eluding  her  enemies  so  long 
she  should,  after  all,  fall  into  their  hands.  He  even 
felt  sorry  for  Captain  Duif,  surly  old  bear  that  he  was. 

At  the  same  time  he  was  thankful  not  to  be  on 
board  the  captured  craft,  and  rejoiced  in  the  thought 
that  this  sudden  change  of  affairs  would  sweep  away 
all  Bonny's  scruples,  and  leave  him  free  to  seek  some 
occupation  other  than  that  of  being  a  smuggler. 

As  for  that  young  sailor  himself,  his  feelings  were 
equally  contradictory  with  those  of  his  companion, 
though  his  sympathies  leaned  more  decidedly  towards 
the  side  of  the  law-breaker. 

"  Poor  Cap'n  Duff  !"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  low  tone. 


CAPTURED    BY   A    REVENUE-CUTTER  101 

"  This  is  tough  luck  for  him ;  and  I  must  say,  Rick 
Dale,  that  the  whole  thing  is  pretty  much  your  fault, 
too.  If  you'd  kept  a  half-way  decent  lookout  you'd 
have  seen  that  yawl  when  she  was  two  miles  off. 
Then  we  could  have  got  under  way,  and  given  her 
the  slip  as  easy  as  you  please.  Now  you  and  I  have 
lost  our  job,  while  Cap'n  Duff  will  lose  his  and  his 
boat  besides.  Fll  never  see  my  wages,  either  ;  and, 
worst  of  all,  in  spite  of  my  invention  working  so 
smooth,  these  revenue  fellows  have  got  the  laugh  on 
us.  I  say  it's  too  bad,  though  to  be  sure  it  does  let 
us  out  of  the  smuggling  business.  I  expect  it  will  be 
a  long  time,  though,  before  I  get  another  job  as  first 
mate,  or  any  other  kind  of  a  job  that  will  be  worth 
having." 

"  But,  Bonny,"  interposed  Alaric,  anxious  to  defend 
his  own  reputation,  "  I  wasn't  told  to  look  out  for 
boats,  but  only  to  watch  the  cutter,  and  I  hardly  took 
my  eyes  off  of  her  until  you  came." 

"  That's  all  right ;  only  by  the  time  you've  knocked 
round  the  world  as  much  as  I  have  you'll  find  out 
that  any  fellow  who  expects  to  get  promoted  has  got 
to  do  a  heap  of  things  besides  those  he's  told  to  do. 
What  he  is  told  to  do  is  generally  only  a  hint  of  what 
he  is  expected  to  do.  But  just  listen  to  the  old  man. 
Isn't  he  laying  down  the  law  to  those  chaps,  though  ?" 

The  voices  of  those  on  the  sloop  came  plainly  to 
the  ears  of  the  hidden  lads,  and  above  them  ail  roared 
and  bellowed  that  of  Captain  Duff,  as  though  he  expect- 
ed to  overwhelm  his  enemies  by  sheer  force  of  bluster. 

"  Chinamen  !"  he  shouted — "  Chinamen  !  No,  sir, 
you  won't  find  no  Chinamen  about  this  craft,  nor 
nothing  else  onlawful. 

"  Smell  'em,  do  ye  ?  Smell  'em  !  So  do  I  now,  and 
hev  ever  sence  you  revenooers  come  aboard.  Seems 
like  ye  can't  get  the  parfume  out  of  your  clothing. 


102  RICK   DALE 

"  Going  to  seize  the  sloop  anyway,  be  ye  ?  Wai, 
ye  kin  do  it,  seeing  as  I'm  all  alone  and  a  cripple. 
There'll  come  a  day  of  reckoning,  though — a  day  of 
reckoning,  d'ye  hear  ?  Fm  a  free-born  American  citi- 
zen, and  I'll  protest  agin  this  outrage  till  they  hear 
me  clear  to  Washington." 

"  He's  heard  over  a  good  part  of  Washington  this 
minute,"  whispered  Bonny.  "But  what  are  they 
talking  about  now  ?" 

"  Phil  Kyder  !"  the  captain  was  shouting.  "  Philip 
Ryder  !  No,  sir,  there  ain't  no  one  of  that  name 
aboard  this  craft,  nor  hain't  ever  been  as  I  know  of. 
I  did  know  a  Phil  Ryder  once,  but—  What's  that  ye 
say  ?  That'll  do  ?  Wa'l,  it  won't  do,  ye  gold-mounted 
swab,  not  so  long  as  I  choose  to  keep  on  talking.  Look 
out  there,  or  I'll  brain  ye  sure  as  guns  !  Look  out, 

T » 

This  last  exclamation  was  directed  to  a  couple  of 
sturdy  bluejackets,  who,  obeying  a  significant  nod 
from  their  officer,  seized  the  irate  captain  by  either 
arm,  hustled  him  down  into  his  own  cabin,  and  drew 
the  slide.  Then  leaving  these  two  aboard  the  Fancy, 
the  others  re-entered  their  boat  and  began  to  pull  tow- 
ards shore,  with  the  evident  intention  of  making  a 
search  for  the  missing  members  of  the  sloop's  crew  as 
well  as  for  her  recent  passengers. 

"  Hello  I"  cried  Bonny,  softly,  "  this  thing  is  begin- 
ning to  get  rather  too  interesting  for  us,  and  the  sooner 
we  light  out  the  better." 

So  the  lads  started  on  a  run,  and  had  gone  but  a  few 
rods  when  Alaric,  catching  his  toe  on  a  projecting  root, 
was  tripped  up  and  fell  heavily.  With  such  force  was 
he  flung  to  the  ground  that  for  several  minutes  he  was 
too  sick  and  dizzy  to  rise.  When  he  finally  regained 
his  feet,  and  expressed  a  belief  that  he  could  again 
run,  it  was  too  late.  The  boat's  crew  were  already 


CAPTURED   BY   A    REVENUE-CUTTER  103 

scattering  through  the  woods,  and  one  man  detailed 
to  search  the  point  was  coming  directly  towards  the 
place  where  the  boys  were  concealed. 

It  seemed  inevitable  that  they  should  be  discovered, 
and  Alaric,  already  giving  himself  up  for  lost,  was  be- 
ginning to  see  visions  of  the  government  prison  on 
MacNeiFs  Island,  when  Bonny  spied  one  avenue  of 
escape  that  was  still  open  to  them. 

"Scrooch  low  I"  he  whispered,  "and  follow  me  as 
softly  as  you  can." 

Alaric  obeyed,  and  the  young  sailor  began  to  move 
as  rapidly  as  possible  towards  the  beach.  With  inex- 
cusable carelessness  the  lieutenant  had  left  his  boat 
hauled  up  on  the  shore  without  a  man  to  guard  her. 
Bonny  noticed  this,  and  also  that  the  sloop's  dinghy 
still  lay  where  he  had  left  it.  If  they  could  only  reach 
the  dinghy  unobserved  they  would  stand  a  much  bet- 
ter chance  of  making  an  escape  by  water  than  by  land 

So  the  boys  crept  cautiously  through  the  under- 
growth without  attracting  the  attention  of  their  only 
near-by  pursuer,  until  they  reached  the  beach,  where 
a  cleared  space  of  about  one  hundred  feet  intervened 
between  them  and  their  coveted  goal,  and  this  they 
must  cross,  exposed  to  the  full  view  of  any  who  might 
be  looking  that  way.  They  paused  for  an  instant, 
drew  long  breaths,  and  then  made  a  dash  into  the 
open. 

Almost  with  the  first  sound  of  rattling  pebbles 
beneath  their  feet  came  a  yell  from  behind.  The 
bluejacket  had  discovered  them,  and  was  leaping 
down  the  steep  slope  in  hot  pursuit. 

"  Run,  Eick  !  You've  got  to  run  I"  panted  Bonny. 
"  Give  me  the  bag."  Snatching  the  canvas  bag  from 
Alaric's  hand  as  he  spoke,  the  active  young  fellow 
darted  ahead  and  flung  it  into  the  dinghy.  "Now 
shove  I"  he  cried.  "  Shove,  with  all  your  might  I" 


104  RICK   DALE 

It  was  all  they  could  do  to  move  the  boat,  for  the 
tide  had  fallen  sufficiently  to  leave  it  hard  aground, 
and  with  their  first  straining  shove  they  only  gained 
a  couple  of  feet ;  the  next  put  half  her  length  in  the 
water,  and  with  a  third  effort  she  floated  free. 

"  Tumble  in  \"  shouted  Bonny,  and  Alaric  obeyed 
literally,  pitching  head  foremost  across  the  thwarts 
with  such  violence  that  but  for  his  comrade's  hold  on 
the  opposite  side  the  boat  would  surely  have  been 
capsized. 

With  the  water  above  his  knees,  Bonny  gave  a  final 
shove  that  sent  the  boat  a  full  rod  from  shore,  and  in 
turn  tumbled  aboard. 

He  was  none  too  soon  ;  for  at  that  moment  the  sailor 
reached  the  spot  they  had  just  left,  and,  rushing  into 
the  water,  began  to  swim  after  them  with  splendid 
overhand  strokes.  Bonny  snatched  up  the  dinghy's 
single  oar,  and,  seeing  that  they  would  be  overtaken 
before  he  could  get  the  boat  under  way,  brandished 
it  like  a  club,  threatening  to  bring  it  down  on  the 
man's  head  if  he  came  within  reach. 

A  single  glance  at  the  lad's  resolute  face  convinced 
the  swimmer  that  he  was  in  dead  earnest,  and  realiz- 
ing his  own  helplessness,  he  wisely  turned  back. 
Then  with  a  shout  of  derision  Bonny  began  to  scull 
the  dinghy  towards  open  water,  while  the  sailor  strove 
with  unavailing  efforts  to  launch  the  heavy  yawl. 

Without  troubling  themselves  any  further  about 
him,  the  lads  turned  their  attention  to  the  sloop, 
which  they  were  now  approaching.  The  two  men 
left  in  charge  had  watched  with  great  interest  the 
scene  just  enacted  so  close  to  them,  but  in  which, 
having  no  boat  at  their  disposal,  they  were  unable  to 
participate.  Now  one  of  them  shouted :  "  Come 
aboard  here,  you  young  villains  !  What  do  you  mean 
by  running  off  with  government  property  ?" 


CAPTURED   BY    A    REVENUE-CUTTER  105 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  eating  my  breakfast  ?" 
replied  Alaric,  hungrily,  as  he  noticed  the  men  making 
a  hearty  meal  off  the  food  they  had  discovered  in  the 
sloop's  galley. 

"  Your  breakfast,  is  it,  son  ?  So  you  belong  to  this 
craft,  do  you  ?  Come  aboard  and  get  it,  then." 

"  Don't  you  wish  we  would  ?"  retorted  Bonny,  jeer- 
ingly,  as  he  stopped  sculling  and  allowed  the  dinghy  to 
drift  just  beyond  reach  from  the  sloop.  I  say,  though, 
you  might  toss  us  a  couple  of  hardtack." 

"  What  ?  Feed  you  young  pirates  with  rations  that's 
just  been  seized  by  the  government  ?  Not  much. 
I'm  in  the  service,  I  am/' 

Just  then  a  bright  object  flashed  from  one  of  the 
little  round  cabin  windows  and  fell  in  the  dinghy.  It 
was  a  box  of  sardines.  Tins  of  potted  meat,  mush- 
rooms, and  other  delicacies  followed  in  quick  succes- 
sion. One  or  two  fell  in  the  water  and  were  lost ;  but 
most  of  them  reached  their  destination,  and  were  deftly 
caught  by  Alaric,  whose  baseball  experience  was  thus 
put  to  practical  use.  So  before  the  bewildered  guards 
fully  realized  what  was  taking  place  the  dinghy  was 
fairly  well  provisioned.  At  length  one  of  them 
seemed  to  comprehend  the  situation,  and  sprang  in 
front  of  the  open  port  just  in  time  to  stop  with  his 
legs  a  flying  tumbler  of  raspberry  jam.  As  it  broke 
and  streamed  down  over  his  white  duck  trousers  the 
boys  in  the  dinghy  shouted  with  laughter,  and  nearly 
rolled  overboard  in  their  irrepressible  mirth. 

All  at  once  there  came  a  hoarse  shout  from  the  same 
cabin  port.  "  Look  astarn,  ye  lubbers  !  Look  astarn!" 

So  occupied  had  the  lads  been  with  the  sloop  that 
they  had  given  no  thought  to  what  might  be  taking 
place  on  shore,  but  at  this  warning  a  startled  glance 
in  that  direction  filled  them  with  dismay. 

Another  sailor,  attracted  by  the  shouts  on  the  beach, 


106  RICK    DALE 

had  returned  to  the  assistance  of  his  mate,  and  to- 
gether they  had  succeeded  in  launching  the  yawl. 
Then,  pulling  very  softly,  they  had  slipped  up  on  the 
unwary  lads,  until  they  were  so  close  that  one  of  them 
had  quit  rowing,  and  crept  forward  to  the  bow,  where 
he  crouched  with  an  outstretched  boat-hook,  that  in 
another  second  would  be  caught  over  the  dinghy's 
sternboard. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
ESCAPE   OF  THE   FIRST  MATE   AND   CREW 

THE  situation  certainly  looked  hopeless  for  our  lads, 
and  the  men  on  the  sloop  were  already  shouting  deri- 
sively at  them.  Alaric  caught  another  mental  glimpse 
of  the  government  prison,  and  even  Bonny's  stout 
heart  experienced  an  instant  of  despair.  He  was  still 
standing  and  holding  the  oar  that  he  had  used  in 
sculling.  Moved  by  a  sudden  impulse,  and  just  as 
the  extended  boat-hook  was  dropping  over  the  stern 
of  the  dinghy,  he  struck  it  a  smart  blow  with  his 
oar,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  send  it  whirling 
from  the  sailor's  grasp.  With  a  second  quick  motion 
the  lad  set  his  oar  against  the  stem  of  the  yawl,  that 
was  within  four  feet  of  him,  and  gave  a  vigorous 
shove.  The  slight  headway  of  the  heavy  craft  was 
checked,  and  the  lighter  dinghy  forged  ahead. 

"  Oh,  you  will,  will  you,  you  young  rascal  ?" 
cried  the  sailor,  angrily,  as  he  leaped  back  to  his 
thwart,  and  bent  to  his  oar  with  furious  energy.  His 
companion  followed  his  example,  and  under  the  im- 
petus of  their  powerful  strokes  the  yawl  sprang  for- 
ward. At  the  same  time  Bonny,  facing  backward, 
and  working  his  oar  with  both  hands,  was  sculling  so 
sturdily  that  the  dinghy  rocked  from  side  to  side  un- 
til it  seemfed  to  Alaric  that  she  must  certainly  capsize. 
She  was  making  such  splendid  headway,  though,  that 
the  much  heavier  yawl  could  not  gain  an  inch.  Its 
crew,  unable  to  see  the  fugitive  dinghy  without  turn- 


108  RICK  DALE 

ing  their  heads,  and  having  no  one  to  steer  for  them, 
were  placed  at  a  disadvantage  that  Bonny  was  quick 
to  detect. 

Watching  his  opportunity,  he  caused  his  craft  to 
swerve  sharply  to  one  side,  and  the  yawl,  holding  her 
original  course  for  some  seconds  before  his  manoeuvre 
was  discovered,  his  lead  was  thus  materially  increased. 

Although  not  a  very  swift  race,  this  novel  chase 
proved  as  close  and  exciting  a  contest  as  had  ever 
been  seen  on  the  Sound.  The  men  on  the  sloop  yelled 
with  delight ;  and  Alaric,  filled  with  renewed  hopes  of 
escape  on  seeing  that  the  distance  between  dinghy  and 
yawl  was  not  diminished,  thrilled  with  excitement 
and  shouted  encouraging  words  to  his  comrade. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  Bonny's  strength  and  powers  of 
endurance  were  so  much  less  than  those  of  the  sturdy 
fellows  in  the  yawl  that  he  realized  the  impossibility  of 
maintaining  his  position  much  longer.  With  strained 
muscles,  and  his  breath  coming  in  panting  gasps,  he 
glanced  wildly  about  like  a  hunted  animal  in  search 
of  some  avenue  of  escape.  There  was  none  other 
than  that  he  was  taking ;  and  with  a  sinking  heart  he 
knew  that,  unless  some  miracle  were  interposed  in 
their  behalf,  he  and  his  companion  must  speedily  be 
captured. 

But  the  miracle  was  interposed,  and  in  the  simplest 
possible  manner  ;  for  just  as  Bonny  was  ready  to  drop 
his  oar  from  exhaustion  a  shrill,  long-drawn  whistle 
sounded  from  the  now  distant  beach.  Its  effect  on 
the  crew  of  the  yawl  was  magical.  They  stopped  row- 
ing, looked  at  each  other,  and  consulted.  Then  they 
gazed  at  the  retreating  dinghy  and  hesitated.  They 
felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  continue  the  pursuit,  but 
they  also  knew  the  penalty  for  disobeying  an  order 
from  a  superior,  and  that  whistle  was  an  unmistakable 
order  for  them  to  go  back. 


ESCAPE   OF  THE   FIRST  MATE  AND  CREW          109 

The  cutter's  third  lieutenant  had  returned  from  his 
expedition  into  the  woods  with  three  wretched  China- 
men, whom,  despite  their  eagerly  produced  certificates, 
he  had  seen  fit  to  make  prisoners.  He  was  amazed  to 
find  the  yawl  gone  from  where  he  had  left  it,  and  the 
details  of  the  chase  in  which  it  was  engaged  being 
hidden  from  him  by  the  intervening  sloop,  he  gave 
the  whistle  signal  for  its  immediate  return. 

As  the  crew  of  the  yawl  hesitated  between  duty 
and  obedience,  the  peremptory  whistle  order  was  re- 
peater louder  and  shriller  than  before.  This  decided 
the  wavering  sailors,  and,  reluctantly  turning  their 
boat,  they  began  to  pull  towards  shore,  one  of  them 
shaking  his  fist  at  the  boys  as  they  went. 

As  for  the  fugitives,  they  could  hardly  believe  the 
evidence  of  their  senses.  Was  the  chase  indeed  given 
over,  and  were  they  free  to  go  where  they  pleased  ? 
It  seemed  incredible.  Just  as  they  were  on  the  point 
of  being  captured,  too,  for  Bonny  now  confided  to 
Alaric  that  he  couldn't  have  held  out  at  that  pace 
one  minute  longer.  As  he  said  this  the  tired  lad  sat 
down  for  a  short  rest. 

Almost  immediately  he  again  sprang  to  his  feet, 
and,  thrusting  his  oar  overboard,  began  to  scull  with 
one  hand.  "  It  won't  do  for  us  to  be  loafing  here,"  he 
explained,  "for  I  expect  those  fellows  have  been 
called  back  so  that  the  whole  crowd  can  chase  us  in 
the  sloop." 

"Oh,  I  hope  not,"  said  Alaric  ;  "I'm  awfully  tired 
of  running  away." 

"So  am  I,"  laughed  Bonny — "tired  in  more  ways 
than  one ;  but  if  fellows  bigger  than  we  are  will  in- 
sist on  chasing  us,  I  don't  see  that  there  is  anything 
for  us  to  do  but  run.  There  !  thank  goodness  we've 
rounded  the  point  at  last,  and  got  out  of  sight  of 
them  for  a  while  at  any  rate." 


110  RICK   DALE 

"  Where  are  you  going  now,  and  what  do  yon  pro- 
pose to  do  next  ?"  asked  Alaric,  who,  f  ally  realizing 
his  own  helplessness  in  this  situation,  was  willing  to 
leave  the  whole  scheme  of  escape  to  his  more  experi- 
enced companion. 

"That's  what  I'm  wondering.  Of  course  it  won't 
do  to  stay  out  here  very  long,  for  in  less  than  fifteen 
minutes  the  sloop  will  be  shoving  her  nose  around 
that  point.  Nor  it  wouldn't  be  any  use  to  try  and 
get  to  Tacoma  —  at  least,  not  yet  a  while  —  for  that's 
where  they'll  be  most  likely  to  hunt  for  us.  So  I 
think  we'd  better  cross  the  channel,  turn  our  boat 
adrift,  and  make  our  way  overland  to  Skookum  John's 
camp.  It  isn't  very  sweet-smelling,  and  they  don't 
feed  you  any  too  well  —  that  is,  not  according  to  our 
ideas  —  but  just  because  it  is  such  a  mean  kind  of  a 
place  no  one  will  ever  think  of  looking  for  us  there. 
Besides,  Skookum's  a  very  decent  sort  of  a  chap,  and 
he'll  keep  us  posted  on  all  that  happens  in  the  bay. 
So  if  you  don't  mind  roughing  it  a  bit  —  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  interrupted  Alaric,  eagerly.  "  I  don't 
mind  it  at  all.  In  fact,  that  is  just  what  I  want  to  do 
most  of  anything,  and  I've  always  wished  I  could  live 
in  a  real  Indian  camp.  The  only  Indians  I  ever  saw 
were  in  the  Wild  West  Show,  in  Paris." 

"Have  you  been  to  Paris  ?"  asked  Bonny,  wonder- 


"  Yes,  of  course,  I  was  there  for  —  I  mean  yes,  I've 
been  there.  But,  Bonny,  what  makes  you  think  of 
turning  this  boat  adrift  ?  Wouldn't  we  find  her  use- 
ful?" 

"I  suppose  we  might;  but  she  isn't  our  boat,  you 
know,  and  you  wouldn't  keep  a  boat  that  didn't  be- 
long to  you  just  because  it  might  prove  useful,  would 
you?" 

"No,  certainly  not,"  replied  Alaric,  rather  surprised 


ESCAPE   OF  THE   FIRST   MATE   AND   CREW         HI 

to  have  his  companion  take  this  view  of  the  question. 
' '  I  would  try  to  hand  her  over  to  the  rightful  owner." 

"  So  would  I"  agreed  Bonny,  "  if  I  knew  who  he 
was ;  but  after  what  has  just  happened  I  don't  know, 
and  so  I  am  going  to  turn  her  adrift  in  the  hope  that 
he  will  find  her.  Besides,  it  wouldn't  be  safe  to  leave 
her  on  shore,  because  she  would  show  anybody  who 
happened  to  be  looking  for  us  just  where  we  had 
landed." 

"  That's  a  much  better  reason  than  the  other,"  said 
Alaric. 

During  this  conversation  the  dinghy  had  been 
urged  steadily  across  the  channel,  and  was  now  run  up 
to  a  bold  bank,  where  the  boys  disembarked.  After  re- 
moving Alaric's  bag  and  the  several  cans  of  provi- 
sions so  thoughtfully  furnished  them  by  Captain  Duff, 
Bonny  gave  the  boat  a  push  out  into  the  channel, 
down  which  the  ebbing  tide  bore  her,  with  many  a 
twist  and  turn,  towards  the  more  open  waters  of  the 
Sound. 

"  To  be  left  in  this  way  in  an  unknown  wilderness 
makes  me  feel  as  Cortez  must  have  done  when  he 
burned  his  ships,"  reflected  Alaric,  as  he  watched  the 
receding  craft. 

"  I  don't  think  I  ever  heard  about  that,"  said  Bonny, 
simply.  "  Did  he  do  it  for  the  insurance  ?" 

"  Not  exactly,"  laughed  Alaric ;  "  and  yet  in  a  cer- 
tain way  he  did,  too.  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it  some 
time.  Now,  what  are  you  going  to  do  next  ?" 

"  Climb  that  bluff,  lie  down  under  those  trees  while 
you  eat  something,  and  watch  for  the  sloop,"  answered 
Bonny,  as  though  his  programme  had  all  been  ar- 
ranged beforehand. 

They  did  this,  and  Alaric  was  so  hungry  that  he 
made  away  with  a  whole  box  of  sardines  and  a  tin  of 
deviled  ham.  He  wondered  a  little  if  they  would  not 


112  RICK    DALE 

make  him  ill,  but  did  not  worry  much,  for  he  was  rap- 
idly learning  that  while  leading  an  out-of-door  life 
one  may  eat  with  impunity  many  things  that  would 
kill  one  under  ordinary  conditions.  He  had  just  fin- 
ished his  ham,  and  was  casting  thoughtful  glances 
towards  a  bottle  of  olives,  when  Bonny  exclaimed, 
"  There  she  is  I" 

Sure  enough,  the  sloop,  with  the  cutter's  yawl  in  tow, 
was  slowly  beating  out  past  the  point  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  channel.  She  stood  well  over  towards  the 
western  shore,  and  the  tide  so  carried  her  down  that 
when  she  tacked  she  was  close  under  the  bluff  on 
which  the  boys,  stretched  at  full  length  and  peering 
through  a  fringe  of  tall  grasses,  watched  her.  She 
came  so  near  that  Alaric  grew  nervous,  and  was  certain 
her  crew  were  about  to  make  a  landing  at  that  very 
spot.  With  a  vision  of  MacNeiFs  Island  always  before 
him,  he  wanted  to  run  from  so  dangerous  a  vicinity 
and  hide  in  the  forest  depths ;  but  Bonny  assured  him 
that  the  sloop  would  go  about,  and  in  another  moment 
she  did  so,  greatly  to  Alaric's  relief. 

They  could  see  that  Captain  Duff  was  still  confined 
below,  and  they  even  heard  one  of  the  men  sing  out  to 
the  officer  in  command :  "  There  it  is  now,  sir,  about 
two  miles  down  the  channel.  I  can  see  it  plain." 

"Very  good,"  answered  the  lieutenant;  "keep 
your  eye  on  it,  and  note  if  they  make  a  landing.  If 
they  don't,  we'll  have  them  inside  of  half  an  hour." 

"Yes,  you  will,"  said  Bonny,  with  a  grin. 

As  the  sloop  passed  out  of  hearing  the  lads  crept 
back  from  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  gathered  up  their 
scanty  belongings,  and  started  through  the  forest  tow- 
ards the  place  where  Bonny  believed  Skookum  John's 
camp  to  be  located.  Although  it  lay  somewhere  down 
the  coast  in  the  same  direction  as  that  taken  by  the 
sloop,  it  never  occurred  to  either  of  them  that  her 


ESCAPE   OP  THE  FIRST  MATE   AND  CREW         113 

new  commander  might  stop  there  to  make  inquiries 
concerning  them. 

Thus  when,  after  an  hour  of  hard  travel,  they  came 
suddenly  on  the  camp,  located  beside  a  tumbling 
stream  in  a  rocky  hollow  that  opened  directly  on  the 
water,  they  were  terrified  at  sight  of  the  cutter's  yawl 
lying  in  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and  the  revenue-offi- 
cer standing  on  shore  engaged  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion with  Skookum  John  himself.  As  they  hastily 
drew  back  into  the  forest  shadows  they  saw  the  former 
wave  his  arm  comprehensively  towards  the  country 
lying  back  of  the  camp.  Then  he  shook  hands  with 
the  Indian  and  stepped  into  his  boat.  Just  as  it  was 
about  to  shove  off,  a  villanous  cur,  scenting  the  new- 
comers, darted  towards  their  hiding-place,  barking 
furiously. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
SAVED   BY  A   LITTLE  SIWASH   KID 

THE  attention  of  the  departing  revenue-officer  being 
attracted  by  the  barking  dog,  he  paused,  and  glanced 
inquiringly  in  that  direction.  It  was  a  critical  moment 
for  our  lads,  who  knew  not  whether  to  run,  which 
would  be  to  reveal  their  presence  at  once,  or  to  try 
and  kill  the  dog,  with  probably  the  same  result.  Fort- 
unately they  were  spared  the  necessity  of  a  decision, 
for  a  little  girl,  whom  up  to  this  moment  they  had 
not  noticed,  though  she  was  quietly  at  play  with  a 
family  of  clam-shell  dolls  directly  in  front  of  them, 
took  the  matter  into  her  own  hands.  She  had  just 
arranged  her  score  or  so  of  dolls  mpotlatch  order,  with 
the  most  favored  near  at  hand,  when  the  dog,  charg- 
ing that  way,  threatened  to  upset  the  whole  company. 
To  avert  such  a  catastrophe  the  child  snatched  up  a 
stick,  and  springing  forward  in  defence  of  her  prop- 
erty, began  to  belabor  him  with  such  a  hearty  will, 
and  scream  at  him  so  shrilly,  as  to  entirely  divert  his 
attention  from  his  original  object. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  diversion  in  their  favor, 
the  boys  stole  softly  away,  and  after  making  a  long 
de*tour  through  the  forest,  cautiously  approached  the 
coast  a  mile  or  more  from  Skookum  John's  camp,  but 
where  they  could  command  a  wide  view  of  the  Sound. 
Here  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  yawl, 
under  sail,  standing  off  shore,  and  a  full  half-mile 
from  it.  The  sloop  was  not  visible,  nor  was  the  cutter. 


SAVED   BY  A   LITTLE  SIWASH   KID  115 

"  How  could  he  have  known  just  where  to  look  for 
us  ?"  asked  Alaric,  who  had  been  greatly  alarmed  at 
the  imminence  of  their  recent  danger.- 

"  He  couldn't  have  known,"  replied  Bonny.  ' ( It 
was  only  a  good  guess.  I  suppose  he  overhauled  our 
boat,  and,  finding  her  empty,  made  up  his  mind  that 
we  had  landed  somewhere.  Of  course  he  couldn't 
tell  on  which  shore  to  look,  but,  noticing  John's 
camp,  thought  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  find  out 
if  the  Indians  had  seen  anything  of  us.  Of  course 
they  hadn't,  and  now  that  he  has  left,  it  will  be  safe 
enough  for  us  to  go  back." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  Isn't  there  any  other 
place  to  which  we  can  go  ?"  asked  Alaric,  whose  dread 
of  being  captured  by  the  revenue-officers  was  so  great 
as  to  render  him  overcautious. 

"Plenty  of  them,  but  no  other  that  I  know  of 
within  reach,  where  we  could  find  food,  fire  to  cook 
it,  and  a  boat  to  carry  us  somewhere  else  ;  for  there 
aren't  any  white  settlers  or  any  other  Indians  that  I 
know  of  within  miles  of  here." 

In  spite  of  this  assurance  Alaric  was  so  loath  to 
venture  that  the  boys  spent  several  hours  in  discussing 
their  situation  and  prospects  before  he  finally  con- 
sented to  revisit  Skookum  John's  camp.  By  this  time 
the  day  was  drawing  to  its  close,  and  the  lengthening 
forest  shadows,  flung  far  out  over  the  placid  waters 
of  the  Sound,  were  so  suggestive  of  a  night  of  dark- 
ness and  hunger  amid  all  sorts  of  possible  terrors  as 
to  outweigh  all  other  considerations.  So  the  boys 
plunged  into  the  twilight  gloom  of  the  thick-set  trees, 
and  began  the  uncertain  task  of  retracing  the  way  by 
which  they  had  come. 

As  neither  of  them  was  a  woodsman,  this  soon 
proved  more  difficult  than  they  had  expected.  The 
trees  all  looked  alike,  and  they  made  so  many  turns 


116  RICK   DALE 

to  avoid  prostrate  trunks  and  masses  of  entangled 
branches  that  within  half  an  hour  they  came  to  a 
halt,  and  each  read  in  the  troubled  face  of  the  other 
a  confirmation  of  his  own  fears.  They  had  certainly 
lost  their  way,  and  could  not  even  tell  in  which  direc- 
tion lay  the  sea-shore  they  had  so  recently  left.  Bonny 
thought  it  was  in  front,  while  Alaric  was  equally  cer- 
tain that  it  still  lay  behind  them. 

"If  we  could  only  make  a  fire/'  said  the  former, 
"  I  wouldn't  mind  so  much  staying  right  where  we 
are  till  daylight ;  but  I  should  hate  to  do  so  without 
one.  Haven't  you  any  matches  ?" 

"Not  one,"  replied  Alaric  ;  "but  I  thought  you  al- 
ways carried  them." 

"So  I  do;  but  I  used  them  all  on  that  old  lantern 
last  night.  I  almost  wish  now  I'd  never  invented  that 
thing,  and  that  they  had  caught  us.  They  wouldn't 
have  starved  us,  at  any  rate,  and  perhaps  the  prison 
isn't  so  very  bad,  after  all." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  rejoined  Alaric,  stoutly. 
"To  my  mind  a  prison  is  the  very  worst  thing,  worse 
even  than  starving.  After  all,  this  doesn't  seem  to 
me  so  bad  a  fix  as  some  from  which  I've  alrqady  es- 
caped. Going  to  China,  for  instance,  or  drifting 
alone  at  night  in  a  small  boat." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  going  to  China  ?"  asked 
Bonny,  wonderingly. 

"  Hark  !"  exclaimed  the  other,  without  answering 
this  question.  "Don't  you  hear  something  ?" 

"Nothing  but  the  wind  up  aloft." 

"  Well,  I  do.  I  hear  some  sort  of  a  moaning,  and 
it  sounds  like  a  child." 

"  Maybe  it's  a  bear  or  a  wolf,  or  something  of  that 
kind,"  suggested  Bonny,  whose  notions  concerning 
wild  animals  were  rather  vague. 

"  Of  course  it  may  be,"  admitted  Alaric ;   "  but 


SAVED   BY  A   LITTLE   SIWASH   KID  117 

it  sounds  so  human  that  we  must  go  and  find  out, 
for  if  it  is  a  child  in  distress  we  are  bound  to  rescue 
it." 

' '  Yes,  I  suppose  we  are ;  only  if  it  proves  to  be  a 
bear,  I  wonder  who  will  rescue  us." 

Alaric  had  already  set  off  in  the  direction  of  the 
moaning  ;  and  ere  they  had  taken  half  a  dozen  steps 
Bonny  also  heard  it  plainly.  Then  they  paused  and 
shouted,  hoping  that  if  the  sound  came  from  a  bear 
the  animal  would  run  away.  As  they  could  hear  no 
evidences  of  a  retreat,  and  as  the  moaning  still  con- 
tinued, they  again  pushed  on.  It  was  now  so  dark 
that  they  could  do  little  more  than  feel  their  way 
past  trees,  over  logs,  and  through  dense  beds  of  ferns. 
All  the  while  the  sound  by  which  they  were  guided 
grew  more  and  more  distinct,  until  it  seemed  to  come 
from  their  very  feet. 

At  this  moment  the  moaning  ceased,  as  though  the 
sufferer  were  listening.  Then  it  was  succeeded  by  a 
plaintive  cry  that  went  straight  to  Alaric's  heart.  He 
could  dimly  see  the  outline  of  a  great  log  directly  be- 
fore him.  Stooping  beside  it  and  groping  among  the 
ferns,  his  hands  came  in  contact  with  something  soft 
and  warm  that  he  lifted  carefully.  It  was  a  little 
child,  who  uttered  a  sharp  cry  of  mingled  pain  and 
terror  at  being  picked  up  by  a  stranger. 

"Poor  little  thing  V9  exclaimed  the  l)oy.  "I  am 
afraid  it  is  badly  injured,  and  shouldn't  be  one  bit 
surprised  if  it  had  broken  a  limb.  I  must  try  and 
find  out  so  as  not  to  hurt  it  unnecessarily. " 

"  Well,"  said  Bonny,  in  a  tragic  tone,  "  they  say 
troubles  fly  in  flocks.  I  thought  we  were  in  a  pretty 
bad  fix  before  ;  but  now  we  surely  have  run  into  dif- 
ficulty. Whatever  are  we  to  do  with  a  baby  ?" 

"  Bonny  \"  cried  Alaric,  without  answering  this 
question,  "  I  do  believe  it's  the  little  Indian  girl  who 


118  RICK   DALE 

drove  away  the  dog,  and  something  is  the  matter  with 
one  of  her  ankles." 

"  Skookum  John's  little  Siwash  kid !"  exclaimed 
Bonny,  joyfully.  "  Then  we  can't  be  so  very  far  from 
his  camp.  Now  if  we  only  knew  in  which  direction 
it  lay." 

As  if  in  answer  to  this  wish  there  came  a  cry, 
far-reaching  and  long  drawn  :  "  Nittitan  !  Nittitan  ! 
Ohee  !  Ohee  V 

For  several  hours  Skookum  John  and  his  eldest 
son,  Bah-die,  had  been  searching  the  woods  for  two 
white  lads  whom  the  third  lieutenant  of  the  cutter 
claimed  to  have  lost.  He  had  promised  the  Indian  a 
reward  of  twenty-five  dollars  if  he  would  bring  them 
to  the  cutter,  and  Skookum  John  had  at  once  set 
forth  with  the  idea  of  earning  this  money  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

Little  Nittitan,  his  youngest  daughter,  whom  he 
loved  above  all  others,  noted  his  going,  and  after  a 
while  decided  to  follow  him.  When  darkness  put  an 
end  to  the  Indian's  fruitless  search  and  he  returned 
to  his  camp,  he  found  it  in  an  uproar.  Nittitan  was 
missing,  and  no  one  could  imagine  what  had  become 
of  her. 

For  a  moment  the  bereaved  father  was  stunned. 
Then  he  prepared  several  torches,  and,  accompanied 
by  Bah-die,  set  forth  to  find  her.  At  the  edge  of  the 
forest  he  raised  a  mighty  cry  that  he  hoped  would 
reach  the  little  one's  ears.  To  his  amazement  it  was 
answered  by  a  cheery  "  Hello  !  Hello  there,  Skook- 
um John  \" 

"  Ohee  !    Ohee  !"  shouted  the  Indian. 

"Here's  your  tenas  klootchman"  (little  woman), 
came  the  voice  from  the  forest,  and  the  happy  father 
knew  that  he  who  shouted  had  found  the  lost  child 
and  was  bringing  her  to  him. 


SAVED   BY    A    LITTLE   SIWASH    KID  119 

On  the  outskirts  of  his  camp  he  stood  and  waited, 
with  blazing  torch  uplifted  above  his  head,  and  an 
expectant  group  of  women  and  half -grown  children 
huddled  behind  him.  He  was  greatly  perplexed  when 
a  few  minutes  later  a  tall  white  lad  whom  he  had 
never  before  seen  emerged  from  the  forest  bearing 
the  lost  child  in  his  arms.  There  was  another  behind 
him,  though,  who  was  promptly  recognized,  for  Skook- 
um  John  knew  Bonny  Brooks  well,  and  instantly  it 
came  to  him  that  these  were  the  boys  whom  the  rev- 
enue-man claimed  to  have  lost.  And  they  had  found 
his  little  one.  How  glad  he  was  that  his  own  search 
for  them  had  been  unsuccessful!  But  this  was  not  the 
time  to  be  thinking  of  them.  There  was  his  own  lit- 
tle Nittitan.  He  must  have  her  in  his  arms  and  hold 
her  close  before  he  could  feel  that  she  was  really  safe. 

He  stepped  forward  to  take  her,  but  the  strange  lad 
drew  back,  and  Bonny  cried  out:  " Kloshe  nanitsh, 
Skookum.  Tenas  klootchman  la  pee,  hyas  sick"  by 
which  he  conveyed  the  idea  that  the  little  woman  had 
hurt  her  foot  quite  badly.  Then  he  added,  "  It's  all 
right,  Kick.  He  understands  that  he  must  handle 
her  gently." 

So  Alaric  relinquished  his  burden,  and  the  swarthy 
father,  rejoicing  but  anxious,  bore  the  child  to  a  rude 
hut  of  brush  and  cedar  mats,  the  open  front  of  which 
was  faced  by  a  brightly  blazing  fire.  Here  he  laid  her 
gently  down  on  a  soft  bear-skin  and  knelt  beside  her. 

Alaric,  who  seemed  to  consider  the  child  as  still 
under  his  care,  knelt  on  the  opposite  side  and  began 
to  feel  very  carefully  of  one  of  the  little  ankles.  He 
had  not  spent  all  his  life  in  company  with  doctors 
without  learning  something  of  their  trade,  and  after 
a  brief  examination  he  announced  to  Bonny  that  there 
were  no  broken  bones,  but  merely  a  dislocation  of  the 
ankle-joint. 


120  KICK  DALE 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  said  Bonny,  "but 
I  should  think  that  would  be  just  as  bad." 

"  No,  indeed !  A  dislocation  is  not  serious  if 
promptly  attended  to.  You  explain  to  him  that  I 
am  a  sort  of  a  doctor,  and  can  make  the  child  well  in 
a  few  seconds  if  he  will  let  me.  Then  I  want  him  to 
hold  her  while  I  pull  the  joint  into  place." 

So  Bonny  explained  that  his  friend  was  a  hyas  doctin 
or  great  medicine-man  who  could  make  Nittitan  well 
Jiyak  (quick),  and  the  anxious  father,  having  implicit 
faith  in  the  white  man's  skill,  consented  to  allow  Alaric 
to  make  the  attempt. 

The  little  one  uttered  a  sharp  cry,  as,  with  a  quick 
wrench,  the  dislocated  bone  was  snapped  into  place, 
and  Alaric,  with  flushed  face,  but  very  proud  of  what 
he  had  done,  regained  his  feet. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "let  them  bathe  the  ankle  in  water 
as  hot  as  the  child  can  bear,  and  by  to-morrow  she'll 
be  all  right.  And,  Bonny,  if  you  know  how  to  ask  for 
anything  to  eat,  for  goodness'  sake  take  pity  on  the 
starving  poor,  and  say  it  quick." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
LIFE   IN    SKOOKUM   JOHN'S   CAMP 

SKOOKUM  JOHN,  which  in  Chinook  means  "  Strong 
John,"  was  a  Makah,  or  Neah  Bay,  Indian,  whose 
home  was  at  Cape  Flattery,  on  the  shore  of  the  Pa- 
cific, and  at  the  southern  side  of  the  entrance  to  the 
superb  strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca.  He  was  a  Tyhee,  or 
chief,  among  his  people,  for  he  was  not  only  their  big- 
gest man,  being  a  trifle  over  six  feet  tall,  while  very 
few  of  his  tribe  exceeded  five  feet  nine  inches  in  height, 
but  he  was  the  boldest  and  most  successful  hunter  of 
whales  among  them.  This  alone  would  have  given 
him  high  rank  in  the  tribe,  for  to  them  the  whales  that 
frequent  the  warm  waters  of  the  coast  are  what  buffalo 
were  to  the  Indians  of  the  great  plains. 

The  Makahs  are  fish-eaters,  and  while  they  catch 
and  dry  or  smoke  quantities  of  salmon,  halibut,  and 
cod,  they  esteem  the  whale  more  than  all  other  deni- 
zens of  the  sea,  because  there  is  so  much  of  him,  because 
he  is  so  good  to  eat,  and  because  he  furnishes  them 
with  the  oil  which  they  use  on  all  their  food,  as  we 
use  butter,  and  which  they  trade  for  nearly  every  other 
necessity  of  their  simple  life. 

They  hunt  the  whale  in  big  open  canoes  hewn  from 
logs  of  yellow  -  cedar,  long -beaked  and  wonderfully 
carved,  painted  a  dead  black  outside  and  bright  red 
within.  Formerly  they  used  sails  of  cedar  matting, 
but  now  they  are  made  of  heavy  drilling  or  light 
duck.  Eight  men  go  in  a  whaling  -  canoe  —  one  to 


122  RICK    DALE 

steer,  one  to  throw  the  slender  harpoons,  and  six  to 
wield  the  long  paddles,  the  blades  of  which  are  wide 
at  the  upper  end  and  gradually  narrow  to  a  point  be- 
low, which  is  the  very  best  way  to  make  all  paddles  ex- 
cept those  used  for  steering.  In  these  canoes  Skookum 
John  and  his  people  chase  whales  far  out  to  sea,  some- 
times following  them  for  days  without  returning  to 
land.  Every  time  they  get  near  enough  to  one  of  the 
monsters  they  hurl  into  him  a  harpoon,  to  the  head  of 
which  is  attached,  by  a  length  of  stout  kelp,  a  float 
made  of  a  whole  seal-skin  sewn  up  and  inflated.  The 
heavy  drag  of  these  floats  eventually  so  tires  the  whale 
that  he  is  at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies,  and  they  tow 
him  ashore  in  triumph. 

The  big  Siwash,  being  an  expert  whaleman,  had 
much  oil  to  trade,  and  made  frequent  visits  to  Victoria 
for  this  purpose.  Here,  being  an  intelligent  man  and 
keenly  noticing  all  that  he  saw,  he  learned  much  con- 
cerning the  whites  and  their  ways,  besides  picking  up 
a  fair  knowledge  of  their  language. 

So  it  happened  that  when  the  smugglers  who  pro- 
posed to  operate  in  the  upper  Sound  began  to  cast 
about  for  some  trustworthy  person,  who  would  also  be 
free  from  suspicion,  to  look  out  for  their  interests  in 
that  section,  and  keep  them  posted  as  to  the  where- 
abouts of  cutters,  they  very  wisely  selected  Skookum 
John,  and  offered  him  inducements  that  he  could  not 
afford  to  refuse.  He,  of  course,  knew  nothing  of  the 
laws  they  proposed  to  violate,  nor  did  he  care,  for  po- 
litical economy  had  never  been  included  in  Skookum 
John's  studies. 

So  the  Makah  Tyhee  closed  his  substantial  house  of 
hewn  planks  on  Neah  Bay,  and,  with  all  his  wives  and 
children — of  whom  Bah- die  was  the  eldest  and  little 
Nittitan  the  youngest — and  his  dogs  and  canoes,  and 
much  whale  oil,  and  many  mats,  he  made  the  long  jour- 


LIFE   IN    SKOOKUM   JOHN'S   CAMP  133 

ney  to  the  place  in  which  we  find  him.  Here  he  es- 
tablished a  summer  camp  of  brush  huts,  and  ostensi- 
bly went  into  the  business  of  fishing  for  the  Tacoma 
market.  He  had  brought  his  big  whaling-canoe,  and 
the  little  paddling  canoes  in  which  his  children  were 
accustomed  to  brave  the  Pacific  breakers  apparently 
for  the  fun  of  being  rolled  over  and  over  in  the  surf. 
Above  all,  he  had  brought  a  light  sailing-canoe  which 
was  fashioned  with  such  skill  that  its  equal  for  speed 
and  weatherly  qualities  had  never  been  seen  among 
canoes  of  its  size  on  the  coast.  It  was  in  this  swift 
craft  that  he  darted  about  the  Sound  at  night  to  dis- 
cover the  movements  of  revenue-men,  watch  for  sig- 
nals from  incoming  smugglers,  and  flash  in  return  the 
lights  that  told  of  safety  or  danger. 

Although  not  possessed  of  a  high  sense  of  honor, 
Skookum  John  was  loyal  to  his  employers,  because  it 
paid  him  to  be  so,  and  because  no  one  had  ever  tempt- 
ed him  to  be  otherwise.  At  the  same  time  he  was  not 
above  performing  a  service  for  the  other  side,  provided 
it  would  also  pay,  and  so  he  did  not  hesitate  to  prom- 
ise the  cutter's  third  lieutenant  that  in  return  for 
twenty-five  dollars  he  would  use  every  effort  to  find 
and  return  to  him  the  lost  boys.  As  the  lieutenant 
had  not  seen  fit  to  mention  the  capture  of  the  smug- 
gling sloop  that  morning,  or  to  say  that  the  boys  in 
question  formed  part  of  her  crew,  he  had  no  idea  that 
one  of  them  was  the  lad  with  whom  he  had  arranged 
his  entire  system  of  night  signals. 

When  he  did  learn  of  the  blow  that  threatened  to 
retire  him  from  business,  and  the  reason  why  the  rev- 
enue-men were  so  desirous  of  finding  the  lost  boys,  he 
began  to  wish  that  he  saw  his  way  clear  to  the  winning 
of  that  reward,  for  twenty-five  dollars  is  a  large  sum 
to  be  made  so  easily.  But  the  revenue-men  wanted 
two  boys,  and  the  only  other  one  besides  Bonny  at 


124  RICK   DALE 

present  available,  was  the  young  medicine-man,  the 
Jiyas  doctin,  who  had  not  only  found  his  dearly  loved 
Nittitan  in  the  dark  hyas  stick  (forest),  but  had  so 
marvellously  mended  what  he  firmly  believed  to  have 
been  a  broken  leg. 

The  old  Siwash  was  not  honorable,  and  he  was  very 
mercenary.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  grateful,  and 
would  have  suffered  much  to  prevent  harm  from  com- 
ing to  the  lad  who  had  placed  him  under  such  obli- 
gations. He  was  also  superstitious,  and  rather  afraid 
of  the  powers  of  a  hyas  doctin.  So  he  determined  to 
make  the  boys  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  keep 
them  with  him  until  he  could  communicate  with  the 
Tyhee  of  the  piah-ship  (steamer).  If  two  lost  boys 
were  worth  twenty-five  dollars,  one  lost  boy  must  be 
worth  at  least  half  that  sum ;  while  it  was  just  pos- 
sible that  he  might  obtain  the  whole  reward  for  one 
boy.  In  that  case,  Bonny  must  be  handed  over  to 
those  who  were  willing  to  pay  for  him ;  for  business  is 
business  even  among  the  Siwash,  and  charity  begins 
at  home  all  over  the  world.  Of  course,  Skookum 
John  did  not  use  these  expressions,  for  he  was  not 
acquainted  with  them,  but  what  he  thought  meant 
exactly  the  same  thing. 

In  consequence  of  these  reflections,  all  of  which 
passed  the  Indian's  mind  in  the  space  of  a  few 
seconds,  Bonny  had  no  time  to  make  a  request  for 
food  before  the  very  best  that  the  camp  afforded  was 
placed  before  them.  There  were  small  square  chunks 
of  whale-skin,  as  black  and  tough  as  the  heel  of  a 
rubber  boot.  It  was  expected  that  these  would  be 
chewed  for  a  moment,  until  the  impossibility  of  mas- 
ticating them  was  discovered,  and  that  they  would 
then  be  swallowed  whole.  After  them  came  boiled 
fishes  heads,  of  which  the  eyes  were  considered  the 
chief  delicacy,  and  these  were  followed  by  several 


LIFE   IN   SKOOKUM    JOHN'S   CAMP  125 

kinds  of  dried  and  smoked  fish,  including  salmon  and 
halibut,  besides  bits  of  smoked  whale  looking  like  so 
many  pieces  of  dried  citron.  All  of  these  were  to  be 
dipped  in  hot  whale  oil  before  being  eaten. 

Then  came  another  course  of  fish — this  time  fresh 
and  plain  boiled — which  the  Indians  ate  with  a  liberal 
supply  of  whale  oil.  Then  boiled  potatoes  which  were 
also  dipped  in  oil  after  each  bite.  The  crowning  glory 
of  the  feast  was  a  small  quantity  of  hard  bread,  which 
for  a  change  was  dipped  in  whale  oil  and  eaten  drip- 
ping, and  with  this  was  served  a  mixture  of  huckle- 
berries and  oil  beaten  to  a  paste. 

In  regard  to  this  liberal  use  of  oil  it  must  be  said 
that  Skookum  John's  whale  oil  was  universally  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  sweetest  and  most  skilfully  pre- 
pared to  prevent  rancidity  of  any  in  the  Neah  Bay 
village,  and  his  family  regarded  it  with  the  same 
pride  that  the  proprietors  of  the  best  Orange  County 
dairy  do  the  finest  products  of  their  churn.  It  was 
therefore  a  great  disappointment  to  them  that  Alaric 
did  not  appreciate  it,  and  after  trying  a  small  quantity 
on  a  bit  of  potato,  refused  a  further  supply.  He  even 
seemed  to  prefer  pate  de  foie  gras,  of  which  the  boys 
had  a  single  jar.  This  he  opened  in  honor  of  the  oc- 
casion, and  with  it  to  spread  over  his  bread  and  pota- 
toes, a  liberal  helping  of  the  boiled  fish,  and  an  innu- 
merable number  of  smoked  halibut  strips  boiled  after 
a  manner  taught  him  by  Bonny,  the  millionaire's  son 
made  a  supper  that  he  declared  was  one  of  the  very 
best  he  had  ever  eaten. 

In  order  that  their  new-found  friends  might  not 
feel  too  badly  over  Alaric's  refusal  to  partake  more 
liberally  of  their  whale  oil,  Bonny  gave  them  to 
understand  that  it  was  not  because  he  disliked  it,  but 
not  being  accustomed  to  rich  food,  he  was  afraid  of 
making  himself  ill  if  he  indulged  in  it  too  freely. 


126  RICK   DALE 

At  this  meal  the  young  sailor  tasted  both  pate  de 
foie  gras  and  whale  oil  for  the  first  time,  and  after 
carefully  considering  the  merits  of  the  two  delicacies, 
declared  that  he  could  not  tell  which  was  the  worse, 
and  that  as  it  would  be  just  as  difficult  to  learn  to  like 
one  as  the  other,  he  thought  he  would  devote  his  en- 
ergies to  the  oil. 

After  supper  a  rude  shelter  against  the  chill  damp- 
ness of  the  night  was  constructed  of  small  poles  cov- 
ered with  a  number  of  the  useful  bark  mats,  of  which 
the  Indian  women  of  that  coast  make  enormous  quan- 
tities. A  few  armfuls  of  spruce-tips  were  cut  and 
spread  beneath  it,  a  couple  of  mats  were  laid  over 
these,  two  more  were  provided  for  covering,  and 
Alaric's  first  camp  bed  was  ready  for  him.  Both  lads 
were  so  dead  tired  that  they  needed  no  second  invita- 
tion to  fling  themselves  down  on  their  sweet-scented 
couch,  and  were  asleep  almost  instantly.  As  Skook- 
um  John  and  Bah-die  had  also  been  out  all  the  night 
before,  they  were  not  long  in  following  the  example 
of  their  guests,  and  so  within  an  hour  after  supper  the 
whole  camp  was  buried  in  a  profound  slumber. 

By  earliest  daylight  of  the  next  morning  the  older 
Indian  was  up  and  stirring  about  very  softly  so  as  not 
to  awaken  the  strangers.  He  was  about  to  make  an 
effort  to  earn  that  twenty-five  dollars,  and  believed 
that  by  careful  management  it  might  be  his  before 
noon.  He  planned  to  notify  the  commander  of  the 
cutter  that  while  he  could  deliver  one  of  the  desired 
lads  into  his  hands,  the  other  had  taken  a  canoe  and 
gone  to  Tacoma,  where  he  would  no  doubt  be  readily 
found.  If  the  Tyhee  of  the  piah-sliip  agreed  to  pay 
him  the  offered  reward  or  even  half  of  it  for  one  lad, 
he  would  ask  that  a  boat  might  be  sent  to  the  camp 
for  him.  In  the  meantime  he  would  return  first  and 
invite  both  boys  to  go  out  fishing — Bonny  in  a  canoe 


LIFE  IN   SKOOKUM   JOHN'S   CAMP  127 

with  him,  and  the  other  in  a  second  canoe  with  Bah- 
die,  who  would  be  instructed  to  take  his  passenger 
out  of  sight  somewhere  up  the  coast.  Then  the  cut- 
ter's boat  would  be  allowed  to  overtake  his  canoe,  and 
Bonny  would  be  handed  over  to  those  who  wanted 
him,  without  trouble. 

It  was  an  admirably  conceived  plan,  and  the  old 
Siwash  chuckled  over  it  as  he  softly  launched  his 
lightest  canoe,  stepped  into  it,  and  paddled  swiftly 
away. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
A  TEEACHEROUS   INDIAN   FROM   NEAH   BAY 

To  his  great  disappointment,  Skookum  John  could 
not  find  the  cutter  that  he  had  heretofore  so  carefully 
avoided  and  was  now  so  anxious  to  discover.  She  no 
longer  lay  where  he  had  seen  her  the  day  before.  He 
even  went  far  enough  into  Commencement  Bay  to 
take  a  look  at  Tacoma  harbor  and  identify  the  several 
steamers  lying  at  its  wharves.  The  cutter  was  not 
among  them,,  and  he  made  the  long  trip  back  to  his 
own  camp  in  a  very  disgusted  frame  of  mind.  At  the 
same  time  he  was  determined  to  redouble  his  efforts 
to  gain  that  reward,  for  with  the  prospect  of  losing 
it  it  began  to  assume  an  increased  value. 

With  one  source  of  income  cut  off,  it  was  clearly 
his  duty  to  provide  another.  And  how  could  he  do 
this  better  than  by  securing  the  good-will  of  those 
on  board  the  white  piah-sliip  ?  There  was  no  danger 
of  them  being  captured  and  driven  out  of  business, 
and  if  he  could  only  get  them  into  the  habit  of  paying 
him  for  doing  things,  he  could  see  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  continue  to  do  so  indefinitely. 

The  old  Siwash  had  already  persuaded  himself  that 
they  would  give  him  twenty-five  dollars  for  one  tenas 
man  (boy),  and  by  the  same  course  of  reasoning  he 
now  wondered  if  they  might  not  be  induced  to  give 
him  fifty  dollars  for  two  boys.  It  was  possible,  and 
certainly  worth  trying  for.  If  they  should  consent, 
he  could  not  see  how,  in  justice  to  himself  and  his 


A   TREACHEROUS   ItfDIAH   FROM   NEAH    BAY      129 

family,  he  conld  refuse  to  give  up  the  hyas  doctin 
(Alaric)  along  with  the  tenas  shipman  (young  sailor). 
After  all,  the  former  had  not  placed  him  under  such 
a  very  great  obligation,  for  he  would  have  found  Nit- 
titan  himself  in  a  very  few  minutes.  As  for  curing 
her  of  her  injury,  the  hurt  could  not  have  been  any- 
thing serious  or  she  would  not  have  gone  to  sleep  so 
quickly.  Yes,  for  fifty  dollars  he  would  certainly  de- 
liver both  of  his  young  guests  to  the  shipman  Tyhee. 
He  would  be  a  fool  to  do  otherwise,  and  Skookum 
John  had  never  yet  been  called  a  fool.  Besides,  it 
was  not  likely  that  the  boys  would  come  to  any  harm 
on  board  the  cutter,  for  the  Boston  men  (whites)  were 
very  good  to  those  of  their  own  tribe,  never  treating 
them  cruelly,  as  they  did  the  poor  Siwash,  whom  they 
had  even  forbidden  to  kill  and  rob  shipwrecked  sailors 
found  on  their  coast.  Yes,  indeed,  both  boys  must 
be  given  up,  and  that  fifty  dollars  reward  received  as 
quickly  as  possible. 

It  was  all  a  very  rational  process  of  reasoning,  and 
one  that  even  white  people  sometimes  employ  to  con- 
vince themselves  that  a  thing  they  want  to  do  is  the 
right  thing  to  do,  even  though  their  consciences  may 
assure  them  to  the  contrary. 

So  the  cunning  old  Indian,  having  persuaded  him- 
self that  his  meditated  treachery  was  pure  benevo- 
lence, reached  his  camp  in  good  spirits  in  spite  of  his 
disappointment,  and  determined  to  make  the  stay  of 
the  boys  so  pleasant  that  they  should  offer  no  objec- 
tion to  remaining  with  him  until  the  return  of  the 
cutter  to  those  waters. 

It  was  a  glorious  morning,  and  the  dimpled  Sound 
was  flooded  with  unclouded  sunlight  that  even  shot 
long  golden  shafts  into  the  depths  of  its  bordering 
forest.  Myriads  of  fish  were  leaping  from  the  spark- 
ling water,  cheerful  voices  sounded  from  the  camp, 


130  RICK    DALE 

and  the  smoke  of  burning  cedar  filled  the  air  with  its 
delicate  perfume. 

The  boys  had  been  awake  and  out  for  an  hour,  and 
Alaric  was  fairly  intoxicated  with  the  glorious  free- 
dom of  that  wild  life,  of  which  this  was  his  first 
taste.  Already  had  he  taken  a  swimming-lesson,  and 
although  in  his  ignorance  he  had  recklessly  plunged 
into  water  that  would  have  drowned  him  had  not 
Bonny  and  Bah-die  pulled  him  out,  he  was  confident 
that  he  had  swum  one  stroke  before  going  down. 

Upon  Skookum  John's  return  his  guests  sat  down 
with  him  to  a  breakfast  which  their  ravenous  appe- 
tites enabled  them  to  eat  with  a  hearty  enjoyment, 
though  it  consisted  only  of  fish,  fish,  and  yet  more 
fish. 

"  But  it  is  such  capital  fish  I"  explained  Alaric. 

"  Isn't  it  ?"  replied  Bonny,  tearing  with  teeth  and 
fingers  at  a  great  strip  of  smoked  salmon.  "  And  the 
oil  isn't  half  bad,  either." 

After  they  had  finished  eating,  and  their  host  had 
lighted  his  pipe,  he  told  Bonny  that  his  early  morning 
trip  had  been  taken  out  of  his  anxiety  for  their  safety, 
and  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  their  enemies,  the 
revenue-men. 

"  They  mamook  klatawa  ?"  (Have  they  they  gone 
away  ?)  inquired  Bonny. 

"  No ;  piah  -  ship  mitlite  Tacoma  illahie  "  (No  ; 
steamer  stay  in  Tacoma).  "  Shipman  Tyhee  cultus 
wau  wau"  (The  sailor  chief  made  much  worthless 
talk). 

" Mesika  wau  wau  Tyhee?  (Did  you  talk  to  the 
captain  ?)  inquired  Bonny,  anxiously. 

(( Ah  ah,  me  wau  wau  no  klap  tenas  man.  Altapiah- 
ship  kopet  Tacoma  illahie.  Mesika  mitlite  Skookum 
John  house." 

By  this  sentence  he  conveyed  to  Bonny  the  idea  that 


A   TREACHEROUS    INDIAN    FROM    NEAH    BAY      131 

he  had  told  the  captain  the  boys  were  not  to  be  found. 
At  the  same  time  he  extended  to  them  the  hospitality 
of  his  camp  for  so  long  as  the  cutter  should  remain 
at  Tacoma. 

When  Bonny  repeated  this  conversation  to  Alaric, 
the  latter  exclaimed  :  "  Of  course  we  would  better  stay 
here,  where  we  are  safe  until  the  cutter  goes  away,  even 
if  it  is  a  week  from  now.  I  hope  it  will  be  as  long  as 
that,  for  I  think  this  camp  is  one  of  the  jolliest  places 
I  ever  struck." 

"  All  right,"  replied  Bonny.  "If  you  can  stand  it, 
I  can." 

So  the  boys  settled  quietly  down  and  waited  for 
something  to  happen,  though  it  seemed  to  Alaric  as 
though  something  of  interest  and  importance  were 
happening  nearly  all  the  time.  To  begin  with,  they 
built  themselves  a  brush  hut  under  Bah-die's  instruc- 
tion, the  steep-pitched  roof  of  which  would  shed  rain. 
Then  they  both  took  lessons  from  the  same  teacher  in 
sailing  and  paddling  a  canoe.  The  supply  of  fish  for 
the  camp  had  to  be  replenished  daily,  and  this  duty 
devolved  entirely  upon  the  younger  children,  for  Bah- 
die  went  always  with  his  father  to  draw  the  big  seine 
net,  in  which  they  caught  fish  for  market.  As  the 
lads  were  anxious  to  earn  their  board,  they  sometimes 
went  in  the  big  boat,  and  sometimes  in  the  small  ca- 
noes with  the  children,  by  which  means  they  learned 
all  the  different  ways  known  to  the  Indians  of  catch- 
ing fish.  With  all  this,  Alaric's  swimming-lessons  were 
not  neglected  for  a  single  day,  and  he  often  took  baths 
both  morning  and  evening,  so  fascinated  was  he  with 
the  novel  sport. 

In  return  for  what  Bah-die  taught  him,  he  undertook 
to  train  the  young  Siwash  in  the  art  of  catching  a  base- 
ball. The  latter  having  watched  him  and  Bonny  pass 
the  ball  and  catch  it  with  perfect  ease,  one  day  held 


182  RICK   DALE 

out  his  hands,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Here  you  go ;  give 
us  a  catch." 

Alaric,  who  held  the  ball  at  that  moment,  let  drive 
a  swift  one  straight  at  him.  When  Bah-die  dropped 
it,  and  clapped  his  smarting  hands  to  his  sides  with 
an  expression  of  pained  astonishment  on  his  face,  the 
white  lad  knew  just  how  he  felt.  He  could  plainly  re- 
call the  sensations  of  his  own  experience  on  that  not- 
very-long-ago  day  in  Golden  Gate  Park  ;  and  while  he 
sympathized  with  Bah-die,  he  could  not  help  exulting 
in  the  fact  that  he  had  discovered  one  boy  of  his  own 
age  more  ignorant  than  he  concerning  an  athletic  sport. 
Then  he  set  to  work  to  show  the  young  Siwash  how  to 
catch  a  ball  just  as  Dave  Carncross  had  shown  him, 
and  in  so  doing  he  experienced  a  genuine  pleasure. 
He  was  growing  to  be  like  other  boys,  and  the  knowl- 
edge that  this  was  so  filled  him  with  delight. 

Nearly  every  day  Skookum  John  sailed  over  to  Ta- 
coma,  ostensibly  to  carry  his  fish,  but  really  to  discov- 
er whether  or  not  the  cutter  had  returned,  and  each 
night  he  came  back  glum  with  disappointment.  Bon- 
ny often  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  city  with  him, 
as  he  was  impatient  to  be  again  at  work  ;  but  the  Ind- 
ian invariably  put  him  off  on  the  plea  that  if  the  cut- 
ter-men discovered  one  whom  they  were  so  anxious  to 
capture  in  his  canoe,  they  would  punish  him  for  hav- 
ing afforded  the  fugitive  a  shelter. 

The  young  sailor  could  not  understand  why  the  cut- 
ter remained  so  long  in  one  place,  for  he  had  never 
known  her  to  do  such  a  thing  before,  and  many  a  talk 
did  her  and  Alaric  have  on  the  subject. 

"  They  must  be  waiting  in  the  hope  of  catching  us," 
Alaric  would  say,  "and  the  mere  fact  that  they  are  so 
anxious  to  find  us  shows  how  important  it  is  for  us  to 
keep  out  of  the  way." 

So  time  wore  on  until  our  lads  had  spent  two  full 


A   TREACHEROUS   INDIAN   FROM   NEAH   BAY      138 

weeks  in  the  Siwash  camp,  and  had  become  heartily 
sick  of  it.  To  be  sure,  Alaric  had  grown  brown  and 
rugged,  besides  becoming  almost  an  adept  in  the  sev- 
eral arts  he  had  undertaken  to  master.  His  hands 
were  no  longer  white,  and  their  palms  were  covered 
with  calloused  spots  instead  of  blisters.  He  was  now 
a  fair  swimmer,  could  paddle  a  canoe  with  some 
skill,  and  understood  its  management  under  sail.  He 
knew  not  only  how  to  catch  fish,  but  how  to  detach 
them  from  the  hook.  He  could  catch  a  baseball 
nearly  as  well  as  Dave  Carncross  himself,  besides  be- 
ing able  to  throw  one  with  swiftness  and  precision. 
He  was  learning  to  cook  certain  things,  mostly  of  a 
fishy  nature,  in  a  rude  way,  and  had  gone  through 
several  trying  experiences  in  trying  to  wash  his  own 
underclothing.  Having  broken  his  comb  into  half  a 
dozen  pieces  by  sitting  down  on  it,  he  had  allowed 
Bonny  to  cut  his  hair  as  short  as  possible  with  a  pair 
of  scissors  borrowed  from  one  of  the  squaws.  The  re- 
sult, while  wholly  satisfactory  to  Alaric,  who  fortu- 
nately had  no  mirror  in  which  to  see  himself,  was  so 
unique  that  Bonny  was  impelled  to  frequent  laughter 
without  apparent  cause. 

Two  things,  however,  distressed  Alaric  greatly,  and 
one  was  his  clothing,  which  was  not  only  ragged,  but 
soiled  beyond  anything  he  had  ever  dreamed  of  wear- 
ing. His  canvas  shoes,  from  frequent  soakings  and 
much  walking  011  rocks,  were  so  broken  that  they 
nearly  dropped  from  his  feet.  His  woollen  trousers 
were  shrunken  and  bagged  at  the  knees,  while  his 
blue  sweater,  besides  being  torn,  had  faded  to  a 
brownish  red.  With  all  this  he  was  comforted  by  the 
reflection  that  he  still  had  a  good  suit  in  reserve  that 
he  could  wear  whenever  they  should  be  free  to  go  to 
the  city. 

His  other  great  trial  was  the  food  of  that  Siwash 


134  RICK   DALE 

camp.  He  had  never  been  particularly  fond  of  fish, 
and  now,  after  eating  it  alone  three  times  a  day  for 
two  weeks,  the  very  thought  of  fish  made  him  ill.  He 
loathed  it  so  that  it  seemed  to  him  he  would  almost 
rather  go  to  prison,  with  a  chance  of  getting  some- 
thing else  to  eat,  than  to  remain  any  longer  on  a  fish 
diet.  From  both  these  trials  Bonny  suffered  nearly 
as  much  as  his  companion. 

One  day  when  the  boys  had  just  decided  that  they 
could  not  stand  this  sort  of  thing  any  longer,  they 
were  out  fishing  in  the  swift-sailing  canoe  with  Bah- 
die,  Skookum  John  having  gone  in  the  larger  boat  to 
Tacoma.  While  they  gloomily  pursued  their  now  dis- 
tasteful employment  a  sail-boat  containing  two  white 
men  ran  alongside  to  obtain  bait.  As  these  were  the 
first  of  their  own  race  with  whom  the  boys  had  found 
an  opportunity  to  talk  since  coming  to  that  place, 
Bonny  began  to  ply  them  with  questions.  Among 
others  he  asked : 

"  What  is  the  revenue-cutter  doing  at  Tacoma  all 
this  time  ?  Has  she  broken  down  ?" 

"  She  isn't  there,"  replied  one  of  the  men. 

"  Isn't  there  ?"  repeated  Bonny,  incredulously. 

"  No ;  nor  hasn't  been  for  upwards  of  two  weeks. 
We  are  expecting  her  back  every  day,  though." 

Then  the  men  sailed  away,  leaving  our  lads  to 
stare  at  each  other  in  speechless  amazement. 


CHAPTER  XX 
AN   EXCITING    RACE   FOR   LIBERTY 

"  WHAT  do  you  suppose  it  all  means  ?"  asked  Alaric, 
as  the  boat  containing  the  two  white  men  sailed  away. 

"  If  it  is  true,  it  means  that  somebody  has  been 
fooling  us,  and  you  know  who  he  is  as  well  as  I  do," 
replied  Bonny,  who  did  not  care  to  mention  names 
within  Bah-die's  hearing.  "  If  I'm  not  very  much  mis- 
taken, it  means  also  that  he  is  trying  to  hold  on  to  us 
until  the  cutter  comes  back.  You  know  they  offered 
him  a  reward  to  find  us." 

"  Only  twenty-five  dollars/'  interposed  Alaric,  who 
could  not  imagine  anybody  committing  an  act  of 
treachery  for  so  small  a  sum. 

"  That  would  be  a  good  deal  to  some  people.  I 
don't  know  but  what  it  would  be  to  me  just  now." 

"If  I  had  once  thought  he  was  after  the  money," 
continued  Alaric,  "  I  would  have  offered  him  twice  as 
much  to  deal  squarely  with  us." 

"Would  you?"  asked  Bonny,  with  a  queer  little 
smile,  for  his  comrade's  remarks  concerning  money 
struck  him  as  very  absurd.  "  Where  would  you  have 
got  it  ?" 

"I  meant,  of  course,  if  I  had  it," replied  the  other, 
flushing,  and  wondering  at  his  own  stupidity.  "  But 
what  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do  now  ?" 

"  Sail  over  to  Tacoma  as  quick  as  we  can,  and  see 
whether  the  cutter  is  there  or  not.  When  we  find 
that  out  we'll  see  what  is  to  be  done  next." 


136  RICK   DALE 

"  But  we  may  meet  John  on  the  way." 

"I  don't  care.  That's  a  good  idea,  though.  I've 
been  wondering  how  we  should  get  our  friend  here  to 
agree  to  the  plan."  Then  turning  to  Bah-die,  and 
speaking  in  Chinook,  Bonny  suggested  that  as  the  fish- 
ing was  not  very  good  and  there  was  a  fine  breeze  for 
sailing,  they  should  run  out  into  the  Sound  and  meet 
the  big  canoe  on  its  way  back  from  Tacoma,  to  which 
plan  the  young  Siwash  unsuspectingly  agreed. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  swift  canoe  was  dashing 
across  the  open 'Sound  before  a  rattling  breeze  that 
heeled  her  down  until  her  lee  gunwale  was  awash, 
though  her  three  occupants  were  perched  high  on  the 
weather  side.  The  city  was  dimly  visible  in  the  dis- 
tance ahead,  and  near  at  hand  the  big  canoe  which 
they  were  ostensibly  going  to  meet  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching. Bonny  was  steering,  and  Bah-die  held 
the  main-sheet,  while  the  jib-sheets  were  intrusted  to 
Alaric. 

Skookum  John  had  already  recognized  them,  and 
as  they  came  abreast  of  him  motioned  to  them  to  put 
about;  but  Bonny,  affecting  not  to  understand,  reso- 
lutely maintained  his  course.  They  were  well  past 
the  other  craft,  which  was  coming  about  as  though  to 
follow  them,  before  Bah-die  realized  that  anything 
was  wrong.  Then  obeying  an  angry  order  shouted  to 
him  by  his  father,  he  let  go  the  main-sheet  without 
warning,  causing  the  canoe  to  right  so  violently  as  to 
very  nearly  fling  her  passengers  overboard,  and  at- 
tempted to  wrest  the  steering-oar  from  Bonny's  hand. 

Seeing  this,  and  with  the  desperate  feeling  of  an  es- 
caped prisoner  who  sees  himself  about  to  be  recaptured, 
Alaric  sprang  aft,  seized  the  young  Indian  by  the  legs, 
and  with  a  sudden  output  of  all  his  recently  acquired 
strength,  pitched  him  headlong  into  the  sea.  Then 
catching  the  main-sheet,  he  trimmed  it  in.  Down 


AN   EXCITING   RACE   FOR   LIBERTY  137 

heeled  the  canoe  until  it  seemed  as  though  she  cer- 
tainly must  capsize ;  but  Alaric,  looking  very  pale  and 
determined,  held  fast  to  the  straining  rope,  and  would 
not  yield  an  inch. 

It  was  well  that  he  had  learned  this  lesson,  and  was 
possessed  of  the  cpurage  to  apply  it,  for  the  canoe  did 
not  gather  headway  an  instant  too  soon.  Bah-die, 
emerging  from  his  plunge  furious  with  rage,  was 
swimming  towards  her,  and  made  a  frantic  attempt 
to  grasp  the  gunwale  as  she  slipped  away.  His  clutch- 
ing fingers  only  missed  it  by  the  fraction  of  an  inch, 
and  before  he  could  make  another  effort  the  quick- 
moving  craft  was  beyond  his  reach.  He  was  too  wise 
to  attempt  a  pursuit,  and  turned,  instead,  to  meet 
the  big  canoe,  which  was  approaching  him. 

"  That  was  a  mighty  fine  thing  to  do,  Rick  Dale  !" 
cried  Bonny,  admiringly,  "  and  but  for  you  we  should 
be  on  our  way  back  to  that  hateful  camp  at  this 
very  moment.  Of  course  they  may  catch  us  yet  with 
that  big  boat,  but  we've  got  a  show  and  must 
make  the  most  of  it.  So  throw  your  weight  as  far 
as  you  can  out  to  windward,  and  don't  ease  off  that 
sheet  unless  you  see  solid  water  pouring  in  over  the 
gunnel." 

"  All  right,"  replied  Alaric,  shortly,  almost  too  ex- 
cited for  words. 

Both  lads  realized  that  after  what  had  just  taken 
place  it  would  be  nearly  as  unpleasant  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  Skookum  John  as  into  those  of  the  revenue- 
men  themselves,  and  both  were  determined  that  this 
should  not  happen  if  they  could  prevent  it.  But 
could  they  ?  Fast  as  they  were  sailing,  it  seemed  to 
Alaric  as  though  the  big  canoe  rushing  after  them 
was  sailing  faster.  Bonny  dared  not  take  his  atten- 
tion from  the  steering  long  enough  to  even  cast  a 
glance  behind.  Managing  the  canoe  was  now  more 


138  RICK    DALE 

difficult  than  before,  because  they  had  lost  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  of  live  ballast. 

When  Alaric  looked  at  the  water  flashing  by  them 
it  seemed  as  though  he  had  never  moved  so  fast  in  his 
life,  while  a  glance  at  the  big  boat  astern  almost  per- 
suaded him  that  they  were  creeping  at  a  snail's  pace. 
It  was  certain  that  the  long,  wicked-looking  beak  of 
the  pursuing  craft  was  drawing  nearer.  Finally  it  was 
so  close  at  hand  that  he  could  distinguish  the  old  Ind- 
ian's scowling  features  and  the  expression  of  triumph 
on  Bah-die's  face.  The  lad's  heart  grew  heavy  within 
him,  for  the  city  wharves  were  still  far  away,  and 
with  things  as  they  were  the  chase  was  certain  to  be 
ended  before  they  could  be  reached. 

All  at  once  an  exclamation  from  Bonny  directed 
his  attention  to  another  craft  coming  up  the  Sound 
and  bearing  down  on  them  as  though  to  take  part  in 
the  race.  It  was  a  powerful  sloop-yacht  standing  tow- 
ards the  city  from  the  club-house  on  Maury  Island, 
and  its  crew  were  greatly  interested  in  the  brush  be- 
tween the  two  canoes. 

Either  by  design  or  accident,  the  yacht,  which  was 
to  windward  of  the  chase,  stood  so  close  to  the  big 
canoe  as  to  completely  blanket  her,  and  so  take  the 
wind  from  her  sails  that  she  almost  lost  headway. 
Then,  as  though  to  atone  for  her  error,  the  yacht 
bore  away  so  as  to  run  between  pursuer  and  pursued, 
and  pass  to  leeward  of  the  smaller  canoe.  As  the 
beautiful  craft  swept  by  our  lads  with  a  flash  of  rush- 
ing waters,  glinting  copper,  and  snowy  sails,  a  cheery 
voice  rang  out:  "Well  done,  plucky  boys!  Stick  to 
it,  and  you'll  win  yet  I" 

Alaric  could  not  see  the  speaker,  because  of  the  sail 
between  them,  but  the  tones  were  so  startlingly  familiar 
that  for  a  moment  he  imagined  the  voice  to  belong 
to  the  stranger  who  had  talked  with  him  on  the  wharf 


AN    EXCITING    RACE   FOR   LIBERTY  139 

at  Victoria,  and  whom  he  now  knew  for  a  revenue-of- 
ficer. If  that  were  the  case,  they  were  indeed  hope- 
lessly surrounded  by  peril.  He  was  about  to  confide 
his  fears  to  Bonny,  when  like  a  flash  it  came  to  him 
that  the  voice  was  that  of  Dave  Carncross,  whom  he 
had  not  seen  since  that  memorable  day  in  Golden 
Gate  Park. 

Although  he  had  no  desire  to  meet  this  friend  of 
the  ball-field  under  the  present  circumstances,  he  was 
greatly  relieved  to  find  his  first  suspicion  groundless, 
and  again  directed  his  attention  to  the  big  canoe, 
which,  although  she  had  lost  much  distance,  was  again 
rushing  after  them.  The  boy  now  noticed  for  the 
first  time,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  astern  of  her,  a 
white  steamer  with  a  dense  column  of  smoke  pouring 
from  her  yellow  funnel,  and  evidently  bound  for  the 
same  port  with  themselves. 

Soon  afterwards  they  had  passed  the  smeltery,  saw- 
mills, and  lumber-loading  vessels  of  the  old  town,  and 
were  approaching  the  cluster  of  steamships  lying  at 
the  wharves  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  which 
here  finds  its  western  terminus.  Off  these  the  yacht 
had  already  dropped  her  jib  and  come  to  anchor.  The 
big  canoe  was  again  overhauling  them,  and  looked  as 
though  she  might  overtake  them,  after  all.  A  boat 
from  the  yacht  was  making  towards  the  wharves, 
and  Bonny,  believing  that  it  would  find  a  landing- 
place,  slightly  altered  his  course  so  as  to  follow  the 
same  direction. 

All  at  once  Alaric,  who  was  again  gazing  nervously 
astern,  cried  out :  "Look  at  that  steamer  !  I  do  be- 
lieve it  is  going  to  run  down  the  big  canoe." 

Bonny  glanced  hastily  over  his  shoulder,  and  uttered 
an  exclamation  of  dismay. 

"  Great  Scott  I  It's  the  cutter,"  he  gasped.  "  And 
they  are  right  on  top  of  us.  Now  we  are  in  for  it." 


140  RICK    DALE 

"  They  are  speaking  to  John,  and  he  is  pointing  to 
us,"  said  Alaric. 

"Never  mind  them  now,"  said  Bonny.  "Ease  off 
your  sheet  a  bit,  and  'tend  strictly  to  business.  We've 
still  a  chance,  and  can't  afford  to  make  any  mistakes." 

A  few  minutes  later,  just  as  a  yawl  was  putting 
off  from  the  cutter's  side,  the  small  canoe  rounded 
the  end  of  a  wharf  and  came  upon  a  landing-stage. 
On  it  the  yacht's  boat  had  just  deposited  a  couple  of 
passengers,  who,  with  bags  in  their  hands,  were  hasten- 
ing up  a  flight  of  steps. 

"Here,  you  !"  cried  Bonny  to  one  of  the  yacht's 
crew  who  stood  on  the  float,  "  look  out  for  this  canoe 
"a  minute.  We've  got  to  overtake  those  gentlemen. 
Come  on,  Rick." 

Without  waiting  to  see  whether  this  order  would  be 
obeyed,  the  boys  ran  up  the  flight  of  steps  and  dashed 
away  down  the  long  wharf.  They  had  no  idea  of 
where  they  should  go,  and  were  only  intent  on  find- 
ing some  hiding-place  from  the  pursuers,  whom  they 
believed  to  be  already  on  their  trail. 

As  they  were  passing  a  great  ocean  steamer  whose 
decks  were  crowded  with  passengers,  and  which  was 
evidently  about  to  depart,  a  carriage  drew  up  in  front 
of  them,  so  close  that  they  narrowly  escaped  being 
run  over.  As  its  door  was  flung  open  a  voice  cried 
out : 

"  Here,  boys  !  Get  these  traps  aboard  the  steamer. 
Quick  !" 

With  this  a  gentleman  sprang  out  and  thrust  a 
couple  of  bags,  a  travelling-rug,  and  a  gun-case  into 
their  hands.  A  lady  with  a  little  boy  followed  him. 
He  snatched  up  the  child,  and  the  whole  party  ran  up 
the  gang-plank  of  the  steamer  as  it  was  about  to  be 
hauled  ashore. 

Our  lads  had  accepted  this   chance  to  board  the 


AN    EXCITING    RACE    FOR   LIBERTY  141 

steamer  without  hesitation,  and  now  ran  ahead  of  the 
others.  The  clerk  at  the  inner  end  of  the  gang-plank 
allowed  them  to  pass,  thinking,  of  course,  that  they 
would  deposit  their  burdens  on  deck  and  immediately 
return  to  the  wharf. 

With  an  instinct  born  of  long  familiarity  with  ocean 
steamers,  Alaric  made  his  way  through  the  throng  of 
passengers  to  the  main  saloon,  and  Bonny  followed 
him  closely.  Here  they  placed  their  burdens  on  a 
table,  and,  with  Alaric  still  in  the  lead,  disappeared 
through  a  door  on  the  opposite  side. 

Two  minutes  later  the  great  ship  began  to  move 
slowly  from  the  wharf,  and  our  lads,  from  a  snug 
nook  on  the  lower  deck,  watched  with  much  pertur- 
bation a  revenue-officer,  who  had  evidently  just  landed 
from  the  cutter,  come  hurrying  down  the  wharf. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
A   CASE   OF   MISTAKEN   IDENTITY 

THE  revenue-cutter  whose  appearance  caused  Alaric 
and  Bonny  so  much  anxiety  had,  indeed,  been  absent 
from  Tacoma  for  two  weeks,  as  the  man  in  the  sail- 
boat told  them.  On  their  first  night  in  the  Siwash 
camp  she  had  gone  to  Port  Townsend  to  turn  over  the 
captured  smuggler  Fancy  to  the  collector  at  that  place. 
Knowing  how  important  the  testimony  of  her  crew 
would  be  during  the  proceedings  against  her,  the  com- 
mander of  the  cutter  intended  to  return  to  the  upper 
Sound  and  to  institute  a  thorough  search  for  them  the 
very  next  day.  Before  he  could  carry  out  this  plan 
news  was  received  that  an  American  ship  was  ashore 
near  Cape  Flattery,  one  hundred  miles  away  in  the 
opposite  direction,  and  the  cutter  was  despatched  to 
her  assistance. 

Although  the  task  of  saving  the  ship  was  success- 
fully accomplished,  and  she  was  finally  pulled  off  the 
reef  on  which  she  had  struck,  it  was  nearly  two  weeks 
before  the  cutter  was  again  at  liberty  to  devote  her 
attention  to  smugglers.  With  only  a  slight  hope  of 
finding  those  whom  he  so  greatly  wanted  as  witnesses, 
but  thinking  he  might  possibly  gain  some  information 
concerning  them  from  Skookum  John,  the  commander 
of  the  cutter  headed  his  vessel  up  the  Sound,  steamed 
through  Colvos  Passage,  and  sent  his  third  lieutenant 
ashore  in  the  yawl  to  make  inquiries  at  the  Siwash 
camp. 


A  CASE  OF  MISTAKEN   IDENTITY  143 

This  officer  found  only  women  and  children  at  home, 
but  learned  that  the  owner  of  the  camp  had  gone  to 
Tacoma.  As  he  was  about  to  depart  without  having 
discovered  anything  concerning  those  of  whom  he  was 
in  search,  curiosity  prompted  him  to  glance  into  a  hut 
that  appeared  newer  and  much  neater  than  the  others. 
Here,  to  his  amazement  and  great  satisfaction,  the 
first  object  that  caught  his  eye  was  the  well-remem- 
bered canvas  dunnage-bag  that  he  had  seen  in  Vic- 
toria, and  which  still  bore  the  name  "  Philip  Ryder  " 
on  its  dingy  surface. 

"  Ho,  ho  !  Master  Ryder  !  So  we  are  on  your  trail 
at  last,  are  we  ?"  soliloquized  the  officer.  "  This  is 
a  clew  of  which  we  must  not  lose  sight,  and  so  I  guess 
I'll  just  take  it  along  and  hold  on  to  it  until  we  can 
return  it  to  you  in  person." 

Thus  it  happened  that  Alaric's  bag  was  carried 
aboard  the  cutter,  where  its  contents  excited  a  great 
deal  of  curiosity,  and  that  vessel  was  headed  towards 
Tacoma  in  the  hope  of  finding  the  lads,  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  with  Skookum  John. 

The  big  canoe  was  discovered  when  in  the  very  act 
of  going  about  and  standing  back  towards  the  city,  as 
though  to  escape  from  the  approaching  cutter,  and  a 
full  head  of  steam  was  instantly  crowded  on  in  pur- 
suit. Great  was  the  disappointment  when,  on  over- 
taking her,  she  was  found  to  contain  only  Indians. 
These,  however,  eagerly  directed  attention  to  a  small- 
er canoe  ahead,  in  which  could  be  distinguished  two 
figures,  apparently  those  of  white  men,  and  the  cutter 
renewed  her  chase.  Before  she  could  overtake  this 
second  craft  it  was  lost  to  sight  behind  a  wharf,  and 
a  lieutenant  was  hastily  sent  ashore  in  a  boat  to  trace 
its  occupants. 

He  found  the  empty  canoe  in  charge  of  a  yacht 
sailor,  who  said  that  those  who  had  come  in  her  were 


144  RICK   DALE 

somewhere  up  on  the  wharf,  and  without  waiting  for 
further  particulars  the  officer  followed  after  them. 
When  he  reached  the  group  of  spectators  assembled 
to  witness  the  departure  of  the  great  steamer  that  was 
just  moving  out,  he  asked  one  of  them  if  he  had  seen 
two  persons  running  that  way  within  a  minute.  One 
of  them,  whom  he  mentioned  as  being  the  younger,  he 
described  as  being  a  tall,  gentlemanly  appearing  and 
neatly  dressed  lad,  while  the  other,  he  said,  was  a  sailor. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  while  the  lieutenant  had 
noted  Alaric's  appearance  very  closely  when  in  Vic- 
toria, he  had  never  seen  Bonny's  face,  and  did  not  even 
discover  whether  he  had  belonged  to  the  sloop  or  not. 
In  fact,  he  afterwards  had  reason  to  believe  that  the 
youth  whom  he  saw  with  Alaric  at  that  time  could  not 
have  been  mate  of  the  Fancy,  for,  to  save  their  own 
credit,  the  sailors  whom  the  lads  eluded  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  sloop's  capture  described  him  as  a  fellow 
of  great  size  and  unusual  strength. 

Now  the  gentleman  of  whom  he  made  inquiries  an- 
swered that  he  had  seen  a  number  of  persons  running 
just  as  the  ship's  moorings  were  cast  off.  "There 
were  a  couple  of  young  chaps/'  he  said,  "very  ragged 
and  dirty-looking,  who  ran  aboard  the  last  thing,  as 
if  afraid  of  being  left ;  but  I  didn't  see  them  come  off 
again,  and  I  expect  they  belong  to  the  ship.  Then 
there  was  another  couple  who  seemed  in  a  great  hur- 
ry, and  ran  shouting  after  a  carriage  that  was  just 
starting  up-town.  They  stopped  it,  got  in,  and  drove 
off.  One  of  them  was,  as  you  say,  a  very  gentlemanly 
appearing  lad,  and  the  other  was  so  evidently  a  sailor 
that  I  expect  they're  the  two  you  are  looking  for." 

"I  shouldn't  wonder  if  they  were,"  replied  the 
officer,  delighted  at  having  thus  quickly  discovered 
the  trail.  "  Did  you  happen  to  hear  them  give  the 
driver  any  directions  ?" 


A  CASE  OF  MISTAKEN   IDENTITY  145 

"  Yes.  The  young  chap  said,  '  Hotel  Tacoma.'  * 
Thanking  the  gentleman  for  his  information,  the 
lieutenant  hurried  away,  boarded  an  up-town  trolley- 
car,  and  a  few  minutes  later  stood  in  the  office  of 
the  great  hotel  scanning  its  register.  A  single  glance 
was  sufficient,  for  the  two  last  names  on  the  page,  so 
recently  entered  that  the  ink  was  hardly  dry,  assured 
him  that  his  search  was  successful.  They  were  both 
in  the  same  handwriting,  and  read — 

PHILIP  RYDER,  Alaska. 
JALAP  COOMBS,       " 

"  Pretty  smart  dodge,"  chuckled  the  lieutenant,  as 
he  walked  away,  "to  hail  from  such  an  indefinite 
place  as  Alaska.  This  Philip  Ryder  is  certainly  a  sharp 
chap.  It  is  plain  enough  now  that  he  left  that  bag  in 
the  Siwash  camp  as  a  blind  to  throw  us  off  the  track. 
What  a  pile  of  money  those  smugglers  must  make, 
though.  Here  is  one  of  them,  apparently  a  simple 
deck-hand,  who  buys  the  choicest  groceries  to  be  had 
in  Victoria,  bathes  in  cologne-water,  throws  away  a 
suit  of  clothes  so  handsome  that  I  should  be  only  too 
glad  to  wear  them  myself,  and  now  puts  up  at  the 
swellest  hotel  in  the  city.  It  certainly  is  a  great  busi- 
ness." 

While  thinking  these  things  the  lieutenant  was 
hurrying  back  towards  the  cutter,  to  make  report  of 
what  he  had  discovered  to  his  superior  officer.  After 
listening  to  all  he  had  to  say,  that  gentleman  decided 
to  continue  the  investigation  himself;  and  an  hour 
later  he,  with  his  third  lieutenant,  both  out  of  uni- 
form, appeared  at  the  hotel,  followed  by  a  sailor  bear- 
ing a  canvas  dunnage-bag. 

Going  into  one  of  the  small  writing-rooms,  which 
happened  to  be  unoccupied,  the  commander  wrote  a 


146  BICK   DALE 

name  on  a  plain  card  and  sent  it  up  to  Mr.  Philip 
Ryder,  with  a  request  that  the  gentleman  would  con- 
sent to  see  him  on  a  matter  of  business.  Then,  with 
the  canvas  bag  on  the  floor  beside  him,  he  waited 
alone,  having  desired  the  lieutenant  to  keep  out  of 
sight  until  sent  for. 

Inside  of  three  minutes  a  bell-boy  ushered  into  the 
room  a  well-dressed,  squarely  built  youth,  with  a  res- 
olute face  and  honest  blue  eyes  that  looked  straight 
into  those  of  the  commander. 

"Mr.  Ellery,  I  believe,"  he  said,  glancing  at  the 
card  still  held  in  his  hand. 

The  commander  bowed  slightly,  and  then  asked, 
' ( Is  your  name  Philip  Ryder  ?" 

"It  is." 

"Is  this  your  property?"  Here  the  commander 
indicated  the  canvas  bag  that  lay  with  its  painted 
name  uppermost. 

The  youth  stepped  forward  to  get  a  better  view  of 
the  article  in  question,  started  as  though  surprised, 
and  then  answered,  "  Yes,  sir,  I  believe  it  is ;  but  I 
must  confess  a  great  curiosity  as  to  how  it  came  here." 

"Why  so?" 

"Because  when  I  last  heard  of  it  it  was  on  board 
a  vessel  that  had  just  been  seized  by  a  revenue-cutter." 

"  Exactly ;  and  that  vessel  was  seized  for  smuggling 
by  a  cutter  under  my  command." 

"Pardon  me,  sir,  but  I  think  you  are  mistaken," 
objected  Phil,  "  for  I  am  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  commander  of  the  cutter  in  question,  while  you 
are  a  stranger  to  me." 

' '  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  think  I  know  what  I  am 
talking  about,"  retorted  the  other,  stiffly,  "and  I  may 
as  well  inform  you  at  once  that  I  not  only  was,  but 
am  still,  in  command  of  the  cutter  that  seized  your 
smuggling  craft  some  two  weeks  ago.  I  am  here  for 


A  CASE  OF  MISTAKEN   IDENTITY  147 

the  purpose  of  causing  the  arrest  and  detention  of 
yourself  and  the  mate  of  that  vessel,  both  of  whom 
will  be  wanted  as  witnesses  for  the  government  during 
the  forthcoming  proceedings  to  be  instituted  against 
Captain  Duff." 

"And  I,  sir,"  replied  Phil,  hotly,  "beg  leave  to  say 
that  you  don't  know  any  more  of  what  you  are  talking 
about  than  I  do.  Although  I  have  sailed  with  Captain 
Duff  and  know  him  well,  I  am  not  a  smuggler,  and 
never  have  been.  Moreover,  I  can  summon  witnesses 
this  very  minute  who  will  identify  me  and  testify  as  to 
my  character." 

With  this  Phil  stepped  to  the  bell,  and  rang  it  so 
violently  that  half  a  dozen  bell-boys  came  tumbling 
into  the  room  at  once.  "  Go  to  No.  20,"  said  the 
youth  to  one  of  these,  "and  ask  the  gentleman  who  is 
there  to  kindly  step  down  here  for  a  minute." 

"And  you,  boy!"  thundered  the  commander  to  an- 
other, his  face  flushed  with  anger,  "find  the  gentle- 
man who  came  here  with  me,  and  inform  him  that  I 
desire  his  presence  immediately." 

The  lieutenant  was  the  first  to  arrive. 

"  Is  this  your  Philip  Ryder  ?"  demanded  the  com- 
mander, at  the  same  time  pointing  to  the  youth  who 
stood  opposite. 

"  No,  sir,  he  is  not,"  replied  the  lieutenant,  prompt- 

iy- 

"  Who  is  he,  then  ?"  asked  the  other,  staggered  by 
this  answer. 

"  Begging  the  gentleman's  pardon,  this  is  Mr.  Philip 
Ryder,  as  I  can  swear,"  interrupted  a  fourth  individ- 
ual, who  had  just  entered. 

"  Hello,  Carncross  !  You  here  ?  And  you  know 
this  young  man  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  do,  sir.  I  met  his  father,  Mr.  John 
Ryder — the  famous  mining  expert,  you  know — at  my 


148  RICK   DALE 

father's  house  in  San  Francisco  last  winter,  and  came 
to  call  on  him  here  as  soon  as  I  heard  of  his  arrival 
in  Tacoma.  He  and  his  son  arrived  on  to-day's 
steamer  from  Alaska,  where  Phil  Kyder  has  just 
completed  a  most  notable  exploration  on  snow-shoes 
and  sledges  of  the  Yukon  Valley.  By-the-way,  he  is 
also  a  friend  of  your  old  friend  Captain  Matthews." 

"  What !  Not  Israel  Matthews,  of  the  PJwca  9  You 
don't  say  so  !  Mr.  Ryder,  allow  me  to  shake  hands 
with  you,  and  offer  my  humble  apologies  for  this  ab- 
surd mistake." 

With  a  general  hand-shaking  and  exchange  of  in- 
troductions, they  all  sat  down  for  an  hour  of  mutual 
explanations.  During  these  it  was  discovered  that 
Phil  and  Jalap  Coombs  had  remained  at  the  wharf 
some  time  after  the  others  of  their  party  left,  to  look 
after  their  numerous  pieces  of  baggage,  and  so  did 
not  come  up  to  the  hotel  until  just  as  the  steamer 
that  had  brought  them  was  departing  for  Seattle. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  the  revenue-officers  were  as 
puzzled  as  ever  over  the  disappearance  of  the  present 
owner  of  the  famous  Philip  Ryder  bag  and  his  com- 
panion. But  suddenly  Carncross  exclaimed  : 

"  I  think  I  know  what  became  of  them  !  I  remem- 
ber now  seeing  the  two  chaps  who  came  in  that  canoe 
run  down  the  wharf  and  board  the  Alaska  steamer 
just  as  she  was  starting  for  Seattle,  and  I'll  warrant 
you  that's  where  they  are  at  this  minute.  Tough- 
looking  young  customers  they  were,  too." 

"In  that  case,"  said  the  commander,  rising,  "I 
must  be  getting  under  way  for  Seattle  as  quickly  as 
possible.  I  only  wish  that  I  might  have  you  both 
down  to  dine  with  me  this  evening ;  but  business  be- 
fore pleasure.  And  so,  hoping  for  a  future  opportunity 
of  extending  the  hospitality  of  the  ship,  I  will  wish 
you  both  a  very  good  night." 


CHAPTER  XXH 
TWO  SHORT  BUT  EXCITING  VOYAGES 

As  the  Alaska  steamer  on  which  Alaric  and  Bonny 
so  unexpectedly  took  passage  moved  from  the  Tacoma 
wharf,  and  they  lost  sight  of  the  officer  who  had  so 
nearly  overtaken  them,  they  congratulated  each  other 
over  their  escape. 

"I  tell  you,  Kick  Dale,  that  was  a  close  shave," 
said  Bonny. 

"  Wasn't  it,  though  !  But  it  seems  to  me,  Bonny, 
that  smuggling  must  be  one  of  the  worst  crimes  a 
person  can  commit,  judging  from  the  anxiety  those 
fellows  show  to  capture  us.  I  knew  it  was  bad,  but 
I  hadn't  any  idea  it  was  so  serious." 

"It  does  look  as  if  we  were  wanted,"  admitted 
Bonny ;  "  but  we've  thrown  'em  off  the  track  this 
time,  so  they  won't  bother  us  any  more.  Didn't  we 
do  it  neatly  ?" 

"  Yes,  we  certainly  did.  But  where  do  you  suppose 
we  are  going  now  ?" 

"  Haven't  the  least  idea,  and  don't  care.  Maybe  to 
China,  maybe  to  San  Francisco,  and  maybe  to  Alas- 
ka. Yes,  I  think  this  must  be  an  Alaska  ship,  for  I 
remember  now  seeing  a  big  Eskimo  dog  taken  ashore 
just  as  we  came  aboard,  and  Alaska  is  where  they  come 
from.  If  she  is  bound  for  Alaska,  though,  she'll  stop 
at  Port  Townsend  and  Victoria  on  the  way,  and  we 
must  lie  low  until  after  we  pass  the  first.  It  would 
never  do  to  be  put  off  there,  for  that's  headquarters 


150  RICK  DALE 

for  the  whole  revenue  business,  and  they'd  scoop  us 
in  quick  enough.  I  wouldn't  mind  Victoria  so  very 
much,  though." 

"  I  should,"  objected  Alaric,  who  feared  that  the 
Sonntaggs  might  have  telegraphed  from  Japan  to 
have  him  apprehended  and  forwarded  to  them.  "I 
don't  like  Victoria,  and  neither  do  I  want  to  go  to 
any  of  the  places  you  mentioned." 

"Very  well,"  laughed  Bonny,  who,  with  a  sense  of 
freedom,  had  regained  all  his  light-heartedness.  "Just 
send  word  to  the  captain  where  you  want  to  go,  and 
he'll  probably  be  pleased  to  take  you  there." 

For  an  hour  or  so  longer  the  boys  discussed  their 
plans  and  prospects.  Then,  as  it  was  growing  dark 
and  they  were  becoming  very  hungry,  Bonny  proposed 
to  skirmish  around  and  see  what  the  chances  were  for 
obtaining  something  to  eat.  Bidding  Alaric  remain 
in  hiding  until  his  return,  the  young  sailor  sallied 
forth.  In  a  moment  he  reappeared  with  the  news  that 
the  ship  was  putting  in  at  Seattle  and  was  already 
close  to  the  wharf. 

"That's  good,"  said  Alaric.  "  Seattle  is  much  bet- 
ter for  us  than  Port  Townsend,  or  Victoria,  San  Fran- 
cisco, China,  or  even  Alaska.  So  I  move  we  go  ashore 
and  try  our  luck  here." 

This  was  what  they  were  obliged  to  do,  whether  or 
no,  for  the  ship  was  hardly  moored  before  they  were 
discovered  by  one  of  the  mates.  Berating  them  for 
a  couple  of  rascally  young  stowaways,  this  man  chased 
them  down  the  gang-plank  with  terrific  threats  of 
what  he  would  do  if  he  ever  caught  them  on  the  ship 
again. 

"  Whew-w !"  gasped  Alaric,  after  they  had  run  to  a 
safe  distance.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  working  your 
way  through  the  world  consists  mainly  in  being  chased 
by  people  who  are  bigger  and  stronger  than  you  are," 


TWO   SHORT   BUT   EXCITING    VOYAGES  151 

"  Yes,"  remarked  Bonny,  philosophically.  "  I've 
noticed  that.  It's  the  same  way  with  sparrows  and 
dogs  too  ;  the  strong  ones  are  always  picking  or  growl- 
ing at  those  that  are  weaker.  Being  chased,  though, 
is  better  than  being  caught,  and  we  haven't  been  that 
yet.  Now  let's  go  up-town  and  see  about  a  hotel." 

This  mention  of  a  hotel  reminded  Alaric  of  his  pre- 
vious visit  to  Seattle  and  the  great  "  Rainier,"  away 
up  at  the  hill -side,  in  which  he  had  spent  the  day. 
At  that  time  he  had  not  paid  any  more  attention  to 
it  than  to  any  other  of  the  hundreds  of  hotels  in 
which  he  had  been  a  guest,  but  now  a  thought  of  the 
dinner  being  served  in  its  brilliantly  lighted  dining- 
room  caused  him  to  realize  how  very  hungry  he  was 
more  than  anything  else  could  have  done.  But  Rai- 
nier dinners  were  not  for  poor  boys,  and  with  a  re- 
gretful sigh  he  followed  his  comrade  in  another  di- 
rection. 

It  is  hard  to  say  how  our  lads  expected  to  obtain 
the  meal  for  which  they  longed ;  but  whatever  hopes 
they  had  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  for  after 
wandering  about  the  streets  a  couple  of  hours  their 
hunger  was  as  unsatisfied  as  ever.  Finally  Bonny 
asked  a  policeman  if  there  was  not  some  place  in  all 
that  great  city  where  a  hungry  boy  without  one  cent 
in  his  pocket  could  get  something  to  eat. 

"  There's  a  free  soup-kitchen  on  Yessler  Avenue/' 
answered  the  man,  "  but  it's  closed  for  the  night  now, 
and  you  can't  get  anything  there  before  seven  o'clock 
to-morrow  morning.  But  what  do  strong  young  fel- 
lows like  you  want  of  soup-kitchens  ?  Why  ain't  ye 
at  work,  earning  an  honest  living  ?  Tramps  is  no 
good,  anyway,  and  if  you  don't  chase  yourselves  out  of 
this  I'll  run  ye  in.  See  ?" 

Seven  o'clock  to-morrow  morning !  How  could 
they  wait  ?  And  yet  there  seemed  nothing  else  to  be 


152  RICK   DALE 

done.  Slowly  and  despondently  the  lads  made  theii 
way  back  to  the  wharf  on  which  they  had  landed,  for 
even  that  seemed  a  better  place  in  which  to  pass  the 
long  night  hours  than  the  unfriendly  streets. 

They  eluded  the  vigilance  of  a  night  watchman, 
and  gained  the  shelter  of  a  pile  of  hay  bales,  on  which 
they  stretched  themselves  wearily. 

f '  Fd  almost  rather  be  in  China,  or  even  a  well-fed 
smuggler/'  announced  Alaric. 

se  Wouldn't  I  ?"  responded  Bonny  ;  "  and  won't  I  if 
ever  I  get  another  chance  ?  I  don't  believe  anything 
would  seem  wrong  to  a  fellow  as  hungry  as  I  am,  if  it 
only  brought  him  something  to  eat.  Even  chewing 
hay  is  some  comfort." 

At  length  they  fell  into  an  uneasy  sleep,  from  which 
they  were  awakened  a  few  hours  later  by  the  sound  of 
voices  close  at  hand.  In  one  of  these  they  instantly, 
and  with  sinking  hearts,  recognized  that  of  their  re- 
lentless pursuer,  the  revenue-cutter's  third  lieutenant. 
The  other  person  was  evidently  answering  a  question, 
for  he  was  saying  : 

"Yes,  sir,  I  seen  a  couple  of  young  rascals  such 
as  you  describe  chased  off  the  Alaska  boat  by  the 
mate.  They  started  up-town,  but  I  make  no  doubt 
they'll  be  back  here  sooner  or  later.  Such  as  them  is 
always  hanging  around  the  docks." 

"If  they  do  come  around,  and  you  can  catch  them, 
just  hold  on  to  them,  for  they  are  wanted  by  the  gov- 
ernment, and  there  is  a  reward  offered  for  them,"  said 
the  officer. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir.  I'll  nab  'em  for  ye  if  they  comes 
this  way  again,"  was  the  answer  ;  and  then  both  speak- 
ers moved  out  of  hearing  towards  the  upper  end  of 
the  wharf. 

The  poor,  hunted  lads,  trembling  at  the  narrowness 
of  their  escape,  peered  after  the  retreating  forms. 


TWO   SHORT   BUT   EXCITIKG    VOYAGES  153 

Then  Bonny's  attention  was  attracted  to  the  lights  of 
a  white  side-wheel  steamer  lying  at  the  outer  end  of 
the  wharf  that  seemed  on  the  point  of  departure. 

"Look  here,  Kick,"  he  whispered,  "this  place  is 
growing  too  hot  for  us,  and  we've  got  to  get  out  of  it. 
There's  the  City  of  Kingston,  and  she  is  going  to  Vic- 
toria or  Tacoma,  I  don't  know  which.  Either  of  them 
would  be  better  for  us  than  Seattle  just  now,  though, 
because  in  Victoria  the  revenue  folks  couldn't  touch 
us,  and  in  Tacoma  they  won't  be  looking  for  us. 
What  do  you  say  ?  s  Shall  we  try  for  a  passage  on 
her  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Alaric.  "I  suppose  so,  for  it  is  cer- 
tain that  we  must  get  away  from  here  somehow.  I 
hope  she  won't  take  us  to  Victoria,  though." 

So  the  young  fugitives  stole  down  the  wharf  in 
darkest  shadows  to  where  a  force  of  men  were  busily 
at  work  by  lantern-light,  trucking  freight  up  a  broad 
gang-plank  from  the  steamer's  lower  deck,  and  at  the 
same  time  carrying  aboard  the  small  quantity  that 
was  to  go  somewhere  else.  Among  this  was  a  lot  of 
household  goods. 

"Now,"  whispered  Bonny,  "we've  got  to  be  quick, 
for  there  isn't  much  more  to  be  done.  I'll  run  aboard 
with  one  of  these  trucks,  while  you  grab  a  chair  or 
something  from  that  pile  of  stuff  and  follow  after. 
Each  oi;  us  must  hide  on  his  own  hook  in  the  first 
place  he  comes  to,  and  if  we  don't  find  a  chance  to 
get  together  on  the  trip,  we'll  meet  on  the  wharf  at 
the  first  place  she  stops.  Sabe  ?" 

"Yes.     Go  ahead." 

So  Bonny  boldly  picked  up  one  of  several  idle  trucks 
that  lay  near  by,  and  rattled  it  down  the  gang-plank 
with  every  appearance  of  bustling  activity.  As  he 
trundled  it  aft  along  the  dimly  lighted  deck  he  was 
greeted  by  a  gruff  voice  from  the  darkness  with  : 


154  RICK   DALE 

"  Get  that  truck  out  of  here.  Didn't  you  hear  me 
say  I  didn't  need  any  more  of  'em  ?" 

"Aye,  aye,  sir/'  answered  the  pretended  stevedore, 
facing  promptly  about  and  wheeling  his  truck  away. 
In  a  place  where  there  seemed  to  be  no  one  looking 
he  set  it  gently  down,  and  walked  forward  as  boldly 
as  though  executing  some  order  just  received.  Away 
up  in  the  bows  of  the  steamer  he  found  a  great  coil 
of  rope,  in  which  he  snuggled  down  like  a  bird  in  a 
nest. 

Alaric  was  not  quite  so  fortunate.  He  watched 
Bonny  disappear  with  his  truck  in  the  dark  interior 
of  the  boat,  and  then,  taking  a  mattress  from  the  pile 
of  household  goods,  marched  aboard  with  it  in  his 
arms.  Walking  aft  with  his  awkward  burden,  he 
stumbled  across  the  truck  that  Bonny  had  left  in  the 
passage  and  sprawled  at  full  length.  As  luck  would 
have  it,  the  mattress,  loosed  from  his  grasp,  struck  the 
mate  who  was  coming  that  way  and  nearly  knocked 
him  down. 

Springing  furiously  forward,  the  man  aimed  a  kick 
at  the  prostrate  lad,  called  him  a  clumsy  lunkhead, 
ordered  him  to  wheel  the  truck  up  on  to  the  wharf, 
and  threatened  to  discharge  him  on  the  spot  without 
one  cent  of  wages  as  a  cure  for  his  blooming  awkward- 
ness. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  return  to  the  wharf 
with  the  truck.  Then,  to  his  dismay,  Alaric  found 
that  there  was  no  freight  left  to  be  taken  on  board. 
The  pile  of  household  goods  had  disappeared.  As  he 
stood  for  a  moment  irresolute,  another  gruff  voice  sang 
out  to  him  to  cast  6ff  the  breast  line  and  get  aboard  in 
a  hurry  if  he  didn't  want  to  get  left. 

Alaric  had  no  more  idea  than  the  man  in  the  moon 
of  what  a  breast  line  was ;  but  he  knew  what  to  cast 
off  a  line  meant,  and,  making  a  blind  guess,  fortunate- 


BONNY  SEIZED  A  TRUCK,  AND  ALARIC   A   MATTRESS 


TWO   SHORT   BUT   EXCITING   VOYAGES  155 

ly  did  the  right  thing.  By  this  time  the  gang-plank 
was  hauled  in,  and  obeying  the  order  "Jump!  you 
chuckle-head!"  he  took  a  flying  leap  that  landed 
him  on  all  fours  on  the  deck,  amid  loud  guffaws  of 
laughter  from  those  who  happened  to  be  near.  As  he 
regained  his  feet,  the  lad,  still  mistaken  for  one  of 
several  new  hands  who  had  been  shipped  the  evening 
before,  was  ordered  aft  to  help  haul  in  the  stern  line 
by  which  the  boat  was  now  swinging.  He  went  in 
the  direction  indicated,  but  managed  to  slip  away  be- 
fore reaching  the  place  of  the  stern  line  and  hide 
among  the  very  household  goods  he  had  helped  bring 
aboard. 

Here,  after  lying  for  a  while  pondering  over  the 
strange  fortunes  by  which  every  step  of  his  pathway 
into  the  world  of  active  life  seemed  to  be  beset,  he  fell 
asleep.  When  he  awoke  it  was  broad  daylight,  the  sun 
was  shining,  and  a  house  seemed  tumbling  about  his 
ears.  It  was  only  the  goods  among  which  he  had  hid- 
den being  pulled  down  by  the  crew,  who  were  discharg- 
ing cargo.  As  the  lad  scrambled  from  beneath  the  very 
mattress  he  had  brought  aboard,  and  which  had  now 
fallen  on  top  of  him,  he  was  greeted  by  an  angry  roar 
from  the  gruff  voice  of  the  night  before. 

"  Shirking,  are  ye,  you  lazy  young  hound  ?  I'll 
teach  ye  I" 

Picking  up  a  bit  of  rope  and  whirling  it  about  his 
head,  the  mate  sprang  towards  the  lad,  who  darted 
away  in  terror ;  nor  did  he  stop  until  he  found  him- 
self clear  of  the  boat  and  running  up  a  long  wharf, 
without  an  idea  of  where  he  was  or  whither  he  was 
going. 

XX 


CHAPTER   XXIII 
ALARIC  TODD'S   DARKEST  HOUR 

"  HELLO,  Rick  Dale  !  Hold  on  !"  was  the  hail  that 
caused  Alaric  to  halt  in  his  flight  from  the  most  re- 
cent of  the  chasings  that  were  becoming  so  common  a 
feature  of  his  life. 

It  was  Bonny  who  called,  and  who  now  came  run- 
ning up  to  him.  "Where  have  you  been  all  this 
time  ?"  he  asked.  "  I've  waited  and  watched  for  you 
ever  since  we  got  in,  a  good  two  hours  ago,  and  was 
getting  mighty  uneasy  for  fear  you'd  fallen  overboard 
or  got  left  at  Seattle,  or  something.  You  see,  I  feel 
in  a  way  responsible  for  you,  seeing  that  I  got  you 
into  all  this  mess." 

"That's  queer,"  said  Alaric,  with  a  faint  smile,  and 
sitting  down  wearily  on  a  huge  anchor  that  lay  beside 
one  of  the  warehouses,  "  for  Fve  been  thinking  that  all 
your  troubles  were  owing  to  me.  Fm  awfully  sorry, 
though,  I  kept  you  waiting,  but  I  suppose  I  must 
have  been  asleep." 

"  You  had  better  luck  than  I  did,  then,"  growled 
Bonny,  seating  himself  beside  his  friend,  "for  I 
haven't  had  a  wink  of  sleep  since  we  left  Seattle. 
I  was  just  getting  into  a  doze  when  a  miserable  deck- 
hand swashed  a  bucket  of  water  over  me.  Then  they 
found  me  out,  and  set  me  to  work  cleaning  decks  and 
polishing  brass.  They  kept  me  at  it  every  minute 
until  we  got  here,  and  then  fired  me  ashore." 

"  Did  they  give  you  any  breakfast  ?"  inquired  Alaric, 


ALARIC   TODD'S   DARKEST   HOUR  157 

with  an  interest  that  betrayed  the  tendency  of  his 
thoughts. 

"  Not  much,  they  didn't.  Have  you  had  anything 
to  eat  ?" 

"Not  a  bite  ;  and  do-you  know,  Bonny,  I  think  I 
am  beginning  to  realize  what  starving  means. " 

"I  know  I  am,  and  what  being  utterly  worn  out 
means  as  well.  Do  you  suppose  it's  just  hunger  that 
makes  a  fellow  feel  sick  and  light-headed  and  weak  as 
a  cat,  the  way  I  do  now,  or  is  it  that  he  is  really  in 
for  something  serious,  like  a  fever  or  whooping-cough 
or  one  of  the  things  with  big  names  ?" 

"I  expect  it's  hunger,  and  nothing  else,"  replied 
Alaric,  "  for  I  feel  just  that  way  myself,  and  I've  been 
really  ill  times  enough  to  know  the  difference." 

"Then  it  must  be  starvation,  and  something  has 
got  to  be  done  about  it,"  exclaimed  Bonny,  starting 
to  his  feet  with  a  resolute  air,  "for  I  don't  believe 
any  two  fellows  are  going  to  be  allowed  to  starve  to 
death  in  this  city  of  Tacoma.  So  I'm  going  to  get 
something  for  us  to  eat,  even  if  I  have  to  steal." 

"Oh  no,  Bonny,  don't  steal.  We  haven't  quite 
come  to  that,"  objected  Alaric.  "  Did  you  say  this 
was  Tacoma,  though  ?" 

"  Yes,  of  course.     Didn't  you  recognize  it  ?" 

"  No,  I  didn't,  for  I  wasn't  given  much  chance  to 
get  acquainted  with  it  last  evening,  you  know.  But 
if  this  is  Tacoma,  I've  an  idea  that  I  believe  will  bring 
us  some  money.  So  suppose  we  separate  for  a  while  ? 
You  can  go  one  way  looking  for  something  to  eat, 
and  I'll  go  another  in  search  of  that  which  will  mean 
the  same  thing.  When  the  whistles  blow  for  noon  we'll 
both  come  back  here  and  compare  notes." 

"All  right,"  agreed  Bonny.  "I'll  do  it,  and  if  I 
don't  bring  back  something  to  eat,  it  will  be  because 
the  whole  city  is  starving,  that's  all." 


158  RICK    DALE 

So  the  two  set  forth  in  opposite  directions,  Bonny 
taking  a  course  that  would  lead  him  among  the  ship- 
ping, and  Alaric  walking  up  the  long  easy  grade  of 
Pacific  Avenue  towards  the  city  proper.  His  pride, 
which  no  personal  suffering  nor  discomfort  could 
overthrow,  had  given  way  at  last  before  the  wretch- 
edness of  his  friend.  "It  is  I  who  am  the  cause  of 
it,"  he  said  to  himself,  "and  so  I  am  bound  to  help 
him  out  by  the  only  way  I  can  think  of.  I  hate  to  do 
it,  for  it  will  be  owning  up  that  I  am  not  fit  to  care 
for  myself  or  able  to  fight  my  own  way  in  the  world. 
I  know,  too,  just  how  John  and  the  others  will  laugh 
at  me,  but  I've  got  to  do  something  at  once,  and  there 
doesn't  seem  to  be  anything  else." 

The  scheme  that  Alaric  so  dreaded  to  undertake, 
and  was  yet  determined  to  execute,  was  the  tele- 
graphing to  his  brother  John  for  funds.  Of  course 
John  would  report  the  matter  to  their  father,  who  had 
probably  been  already  notified  of  his  younger  son's 
disappearance,  and  our  lad  would  be  ordered  to  return 
home  immediately.  Or  perhaps  John  would  come  to 
fetch  him  back,  like  a  runaway  child.  It  would  all  be 
dreadfully  humiliating,  and  on  his  own  account  he 
would  have  undergone  much  greater  trials  than  those  of 
the  present  rather  than  place  himself  in  such  a  position. 
But  for  the  sake  of  the  boy  who  had  befriended  him 
and  suffered  with  him,  it  must  be  done. 

The  only  telegraph-office  in  the  city  of  which  Alaric 
knew  was  in  the  Hotel  Tacoma,  where  he  had  passed 
a  day  on  his  northward  journey,  and  thither  he  bent 
his  steps.  As  he  entered  its  open  portal  and  crossed 
the  spacious  hall  in  which  was  located  the  telegraph- 
station,  the  well-dressed  guests  who  paced  leisurely 
to  and  fro  or  lounged  in  easy-chairs  stared  at  him  cu- 
riously. And  well  they  might,  for  a  more  tattered, 
begrimed,  unkempt,  and  generally  woe-begone  youth 


ALARIC   TODD'S    DARKEST   HOUR  159 

had  never  been  seen  in  that  place  of  luxurious  en- 
tertainment. Had  Alaric  encountered  a  mirror,  he 
would  have  stared  at  himself  and  passed  by  without 
recognition;  but  for  the  moment  his  mind  was  too 
busy  with  other  thoughts  to  allow  him  to  consider  his 
appearance. 

The  box-like  telegraph-office  was  occupied  by  a  fash- 
ionably attired  young  woman,  who  was  just  then  ab- 
sorbed in  an  exciting  novel.  After  keeping  Alaric 
waiting  for  several  minutes,  or  until  after  she  had  fin- 
ished a  chapter,  she  took  the  despatch  he  had  written, 
and  read  it  aloud  : 

11  To  Mr.  John  Todd,  Amos  1 odd  Bank,  San  Francisco: 

"DEAR  JOHN,— Please  send  me  by  wire  one  hundred  dollars. 
Will  write  and  explain  why  I  need  it.  ALARIC." 

"  Dollar  and  a  half,"  said  the  young  woman,  tersely, 
and  without  looking  up. 

Although  many  telegrams  had  been  forwarded  at 
various  times  and  from  distant  parts  of  the  world  in 
Alaric  Todd's  name,  he  had  never  before  attempted 
to  send  one  in  person.  Now,  therefore,  although 
somewhat  startled  by  the  request  for  a  dollar  and  a 
half,  he  replied,  calmly  : 

"Send  it  collect,  please.  It  will  be  paid  for  at  the 
other  end." 

"  Can't  do  it;  'gainst  the  rules,"  retorted  the  young 
woman,  sharply,  now  glancing  at  the  lad  before  her, 
and  contemptuously  scanning  him  from  head  to  foot. 

"But,"  pleaded  poor  Alaric,  "this  is  so  very  im- 
portant. The  money  that  I  ask  for  is  sure  to  come, 
and  then  I  will  pay  for  it  a  dozen  times  over,  if  you 
like.  It  will  certainly  be  paid  for,  though,  in  San 
Francisco,  at  the  Amos  Todd  Bank,  for  my  name  is 
Todd— Alaric  Todd." 


160  RICK   DALE 

"It  wouldn't  make  any  difference/'  remarked  the 
young  woman, "  if  your  name  were  George  Washington 
or  John  Jacob  Astor ;  you  couldn't  send  a  despatch 
through  this  office  without  paying  for  it.  So  if  you 
haven't  any  money  you  might  as  well  make  up  your 
mind  not  to  waste  any  more  of  my  time." 

With  this  she  resumed  the  reading  of  her  novel, 
while  Alaric  moved  slowly  away,  stunned  and  despair- 
ing. Now  was  he  indeed  cut  off  from  his  home,  his 
people,  and  from  all  hope  of  assistance.  He  hadn't 
even  money  enough  to  pay  for  a  postage-stamp  with 
which  to  send  a  letter.  As  he  realized  these  things, 
the  reaction  from  his  confidence  of  a  few  moments  be- 
fore, that  his  present  trouble  would  be  speedily  ended, 
was  so  great  that  he  grew  faint,  and  mechanically 
sank  into  a  leather-cushioned  chair  that  stood  close 
at  hand. 

He  had  hardly  done  so  when  an  alert  porter  stepped 
up,  touched  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  pointed  signifi- 
cantly to  the  door. 

The  boy  understood,  and  obeyed  the  gesture  with- 
out remonstrance.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  a  son  of 
Amos  Todd,  the  richest  man  on  the  Pacific  coast,  was 
driven  from  a  hotel  of  which  his  father  was  one  of  the 
principal  owners,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
just  acknowledged  his  own  identity. 

Once  outside,  Alaric  walked  irresolutely,  and  as 
though  unconscious  of  what  he  was  doing,  for  a  short 
distance,  and  then  found  himself  seated  on  an  iron 
bench  at  the  edge  of  a  broad  asphalted  driveway. 
Here  he  tried  to  think,  and  could  not.  He  closed  his 
eyes  and  wondered  vaguely  if  he  were  going  to  die,  or, 
if  not,  how  much  longer  he  could  live  without  food. 
It  wasn't  worth  worrying  about,  though,  one  way  or 
the  other.  He  had  made  such  a  complete  failure  of 
life  that  no  one  would  care  if  he  did  die.  Of  course 


ALARIC   TODD'S   DARKEST   HOUR  161 

Bonny  might  feel  badly  about  it  for  a  little  while,  but 
even  he  would  get  along  much  better  alone. 

From  such  terrible  thoughts  as  these  the  lad  was 
aroused  by  the  sound  of  cheery  voices ;  and  glancing 
listlessly  in  their  direction,  he  saw  a  well  -  dressed 
young  fellow,  apparently  not  much  older  than  him- 
self, a  little  boy  in  his  first  suit  of  tiny  knickerbock- 
ers, and  a  big  dog.  They  had  just  come  from  the 
hotel  and  were  playing  with  a  ball.  It  was  Phil  Ryder 
with  little  Nel-te,  an  orphan  whom  he  had  rescued 
from  the  Yukon  wilderness,  and  big  Amook,  one  of 
his  Eskimo  sledge  dogs  that  he  was  carrying  back  to 
New  London  as  a  curiosity. 

While  Alaric  watched  them,  wondering  how  it  must 
seem  to  be  as  free  from  both  hunger  and  anxiety  as 
that  happy-looking  chap  evidently  was,  the  ball  tossed 
to  Nel-te  escaped  him  and  rolled  under  the  iron  bench. 
As  the  child  came  running  up,  the  lad  recovered  it 
and  handed  it  to  him. 

"Fank  you,  man/'  said  the  little  chap,  and  then 
ran  away. 

After  a  while  the  ball  again  came  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, and,  as  the  child  did  not  follow  it,  Alaric  picked 
it  up  and  tossed  it  to  Phil. 

"  Hello  !"  cried  the  latter.  "  It  seems  mighty  good 
to  be  catching  a  baseball  again.  Give  us  another, 
will  you  ?"  With  this  he  threw  the  ball  to  Alaric,  who 
caught  it  deftly  and  flung  it  back. 

The  ball  was  one  that  had  been  found  in  a  certain 
canvas  dunnage-bag  the  evening  before,  and  begged 
by  Phil  Eyder  as  a  souvenir  of  his  experience  as  a 
smuggler.  After  a  few  passes  back  and  forth  Alaric 
became  so  dizzy  from  weakness  that,  with  a  very  pale 
face,  he  was  again  forced  to  sit  down. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Phil,  anxiously,  com- 
ing up  to  the  trembling  lad.  "  Not  ill,  I  hope  ?" 


162  RICK   DALE 

"  No  ;  I'm  not  ill.     It's  only  a  little  faintness." 
"  Do  you  know,"  said  Phil,  as  he  noted  closely  the 
lad's  mean  dress  and  hollow  cheeks,  "that  yon  look 
to  me  as  though  you  were  hungry.     Tell  me  honestly 
if  you  have  had  any  breakfast  this  morning." 
"No,"  replied  Alaric,  in  a  low  tone. 
"Or  any  supper  last  night  ?" 
"No." 

"  Did  you  have  any  dinner  yesterday  ?" 
"  I  can't  exactly  remember,  but  I  don't  think  I  did." 
f '  Why,  man,"  cried  tender  -  hearted  Phil,  horror- 
stricken  at  this  revelation,  "you  are  starving  !    And 
I've  been  keeping  you  here  playing  ball !     What  a 
heedless  brute  I  am  !    Never  mind  ;  just  you  wait  un- 
til I  can  carry  this  little  chap  inside,  and  don't  you 
stir  from  that  seat  until  I  come  back." 

With  this  Phil,  picking  up  Nel-te  and  bidding 
Amook  follow  him,  hurried  away,  leaving  Alaric  still 
holding  the  baseball,  and  filled  with  a  very  queer  mixt- 
ure of  conflicting  emotions. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 
PHIL   RYDER   PAYS   A   DEBT 

IN  a  very  few  minutes  Phil  Kyder  hastened  back 
to  where  Alaric  awaited  him.  "  Now  yon  come  with 
me,"  he  said,  cheerily,  "and  we'll  end  this  starvation 
business  in  a  hurry.  I  won't  take  you  to  the  hotel,  for 
those  swell  waiters  are  too  slow  about  serving  things, 
and  when  a  fellow  is  hungry  he  don't  care  so  much 
about  style  as  he  does  about  prompt  attention  to  his 
wants.  I  know,  for  I've  been  there  myself.  There's 
a  little  restaurant  just  around  the  corner  on  the  ave- 
nue that  looks  as  though  it  would  exactly  fill  the  bill. 
Here  we  are." 

Almost  before  he  realized  what  was  happening 
Alaric  found  himself  seated  before  the  first  regular 
breakfast-table  that  he  had  seen  in  weeks,  while  the 
young  stranger  facing  him,  who  had  so  unexpectedly 
become  his  host,  was  ordering  a  meal  that  seemed  to 
embrace  pretty  nearly  the  whole  bill  of  fare. 

"  Bring  the  coffee  and  oatmeal  first,"  he  said  to  the 
waiter,  "and  see  that  there  is  plenty  of  cream.  If 
they  burn  your  fingers,  so  much  the  better,  for  you 
never  saw  any  one  in  quite  so  much  of  a  hurry  as  we 
are.  After  that  you  may  rush  along  the  other  things 
as  fast  as  you  please." 

Alaric  attempted  a  feeble  protest  against  the  munifi- 
cence of  the  order  just  given,  but  Phil  silenced  him 
with  : 

"  Now,  my  friend,  don't  you  fret ;  I  know  what  you 


164  KICK   DALE 

need  and  what  you  can  get  away  with  better  than  yon 
do,  for  I've  experimented  considerably  with  starving 
during  the  past  year.  As  for  obligation,  there  isn't 
any.  I  am  only  paying  a  debt  that  Fve  owed  for  a 
long  time." 

' ( I  don't  remember  ever  meeting  yon  before,"  said 
Alaric,  looking  np  in  surprise  from  a  dish  of  oatmeal 
and  cream  that  seemed  the  very  best  thing  he  had 
ever  tasted. 

"No,  of  course  not,  and  I  don't  suppose  we  have 
ever  been  within  a  thousand  miles  of  each  other  until 
now ;  but  I  have  been  in  your  debt,  all  the  same. 
Just  about  a  year  ago  I  was  in  Victoria  without  a 
cent  in  my  pocket,  no  friend  or  even  acquaintance 
that  I  knew  of  in  the  whole  city,  and  so  hungry  that 
it  didn't  seem  as  though  I  had  ever  eaten  anything  in 
my  life.  Just  as  I  was  most  desperate  and  things 
were  looking  their  very  blackest,  an  angel  travelling 
under  the  name  of  Serge  Belcofsky  came  along,  and 
spent  his  last  dollar  in  feeding  me.  I  vowed  then 
that  I'd  get  even  with  him  by  feeding  some  other 
hungry  fellow,  and  this  is  the  first  chance  I've  run 
across  since.  You  needn't  be  afraid,  though,  that  I 
am  spending  my  last  dollar  on  you,  glad  as  I  would  be 
to  do  so  if  it  were  necessary.  That  it  isn't  is  owing 
to  one  of  the  best  fathers  in  the  world,  who  hasn't 
had  a  chance  to  keep  me  in  funds  for  so  long  a  time 
that  he  is  now  trying  to  make  up  for  lost  opportuni- 
ties." 

"  You  must  be  very  fond  of  him,"  said  Alaric,  who 
was  now  at  work  on  beefsteak  and  fried  potatoes. 

"Well,  rather,"  replied  Phil,  earnestly,  "though  I 
never  knew  how  much  a  good  father  was  to  a  boy  un- 
til I  lost  him,  and  had  to  fight  my  way  alone  through 
a  whole  year  before  I  found  him  again.  It's  a  wonder 
my  hair  didn't  turn  gray  with  anxiety  while  I  was 


PHIL   RYDER   PAYS   A   DEBT  165 

hunting  him  np  in  the  interior  of  Alaska  ;  but  it's  all 
over  now,  and  I  have  him  safe  at  last  right  here  in 
Tacoma,  along  with  my  aunt  Ruth  and  little  Nel-te 
and  Jalap — " 

"la  he  the  dog?"  asked  Alaric,  beginning  an  at- 
tack on  the  omelette. 

"Who?" 

"Jalap." 

"  Not  much  he  isn't  a  dog,"  laughed  Phil.  "  He  is 
one  of  the  dearest  of  sailormen.  He's  one  of  the 
wisest,  too,  only  he  lays  all  of  his  wisdom  to  his  old 
friend  Kite  Roberson.  Besides  all  that,  he  is  one  of 
the  most  comical  chaps  that  ever  lived,  though  he 
doesn't  mean  to  be,  and  it's  better  than  a  circus  to  see 
him  on  snow-shoes  driving  a  sledge  team  of  dogs.  I 
should  have  brought  him  over  here  to  cheer  you  up, 
only  he's  off  somewhere  among  the  ships  this  morn- 
ing. He  says  he's  got  the  salt-water  habit  so  badly 
that  he  can't  keep  away  from  them.  Are  you  ready 
now  for  the  buckwheats  ?  Here  are  half  a  dozen  hot 
ones  to  top  off  with,  and  maple-syrup  too.  Don't  they 
look  good,  though  !  I  say,  waiter,  you  may  as  well 
bring  me  a  plate  of  those  buckwheats.  I  forgot  to 
have  any  at  breakfast-time." 

So  Phil  rattled  on,  talking  of  all  sorts  of  things  to 
keep  his  guest  amused,  and  allow  him  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  attend  strictly  to  the  business  of  eating, 
without  feeling  obliged  to  answer  questions  or  sustain 
any  part  of  the  conversation. 

And  how  poor,  heartsick,  hungry  Alaric  was  cheered 
by  the  thoughtful  kindness  of  this  strange  lad  who 
had  so  befriended  him  in  his  hour  of  sorest  need  ! 
How  grateful  he  was,  and  how,  with  each  mouthful  of 
food,  strength  and  courage  and  hope  came  back  to 
him,  until,  when  the  wonderful  meal  was  finished,  he 
was  ready  once  more  to  face  the  world  with  a  brave 


166  RICK  DALE 

confidence  that  it  should  never  again  get  the  better 
of  him !  He  tried  to  put  some  of  his  gratitude  into 
words,  but  was  promptly  interrupted  by  his  host,  who 
said: 

"  Nonsense !  You've  nothing  to  thank  me  for. 
I  told  you  I  owed  you  this  breakfast,  and  besides, 
though  I  haven't  eaten  very  much  myself,  I  have  cer- 
tainly enjoyed  it  as  much  as  any  meal  of  my  life. 
Now  we  have  a  few  minutes  left  before  I  must  go,  and 
I  want  you  to  tell  me  something  of  yourself.  What  is 
your  name  ?  Where  is  your  home  ?  And  how  did  you 
happen  to  get  into  this  fix  ?" 

"  My  name  is  Rick  Dale,"  began  Alaric,  who  did 
not  feel  that  he  could  disclose  his  real  identity  under 
the  circumstances,  "and my  home  is  in  San  Francisco ; 
but  it  is  closed  now.  My  mother  is  dead.  I  don't 
know  just  where  my  father  is,  and  I  was  left  with 
some  people  whom  I  disliked  so  much  that  I  just — " 
Here  he  hesitated,  and  Phil,  noting  his  embarrassment, 
hastened  to  say  : 

"  Never  mind  the  particulars.  I  had  no  business  to 
ask  such  questions,  anyway." 

"  Well,"  continued  Alaric,  "the  result  of  it  all  is  that 
I  am  here  looking  for  work.  I  had  a  job,  but  it  didn't 
pay  anything,  and  I  lost  it  about  two  weeks  ago.  Now 
I  am  trying  to  find  another." 

"  What  kind  of  a  job  do  you  want  ?" 

"  Anything,  so  long  as  it  is  honest  work  that  will 
provide  food,  clothing,  and  a  place  to  sleep." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Phil,  thoughtfully,  "I  don't 
know  but  what  I  can  put  you  in  the  way  of  one, 
though—" 

"  It  must  be  a  job  for  two  of  us,"  interposed  Alaric, 
' '  for  I  have  a  friend  who  is  in  the  same  fix  as  myself." 

( '  I  only  wish  I  had  known  that  in  time  to  have  him 
breakfast  with  us,"  said  Phil ;  "but  the  job  I  am  think- 


PHIL    RYI^ER    PAYS   A   DEBT  167 

ing  of,  if  it  can  be  had  at  all,  will  serve  for  two  of  you 
as  well  as  for  one.  Yon  see,  it  is  this  way.  There  is 
a  Frenchman  over  at  the  hotel  whose  name  is  Filbert, 
and  who — " 

Jnst  here  both  lads  started  at  the  sound  of  a  shrill 
whistle  announcing  the  hour  of  noon. 

"I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  late,"  explained  Phil, 
"and  I  must  run;  for  we  leave  here  on  the  one- 
o'clock  train." 

"I  must  hurry  too,  for  I  promised  to  meet  Bonny 
at  noon,"  said  Alaric. 

"Who  is  Bonny?" 

"The  friend  I  told  you  of." 

"  Then  I  want  you  to  give  this  to  him  from  me,  for 
fear  he  may  not  have  found  any  breakfast."  So  say- 
ing, Phil  slipped  something  hard  and  round  into 
Alaric's  hand.  "  Now  good-bye,  Rick  Dale,"  he  said. 
"  I  hope  we  may  meet  again  sometime.  At  any  rate, 
be  sure  to  call  on  Monsieur  Filbert  at  the  hotel  this 
afternoon.  I  guess  you  can  get  a  job  from  him ;  but 
even  if  you  don't,  always  remember  that,  as  my  friend 
Jalap  Coombs  says,  'It's  never  so  dark  but  what 
there's  a  light  somewhere.'  ' 

Then  the  lads  parted,  one  filled  with  the  happiness 
that  results  from  an  act  of  kindness,  and  the  other 
cheered  and  encouraged  to  renewed  effort. 

With  grateful  and  loving  glances  Alaric  watched 
Phil  Ryder  until  he  disappeared  in  the  direction  of 
the  hotel,  and  then  hastened  to  keep  his  appointment 
with  Bonny.  On  the  road  leading  to  the  wharves  he 
passed  a  tall,  lank  figure,  whose  whole  appearance  was 
that  of  a  sailor.  His  shrewd  face  was  weather-beaten 
and  wrinkled,  but  so  kindly  and  smiling  that  Alaric 
could  not  help  but  smile  from  sympathy  as  they  met. 

He  found  Bonny  impatiently  awaiting  him,  and  in 
such  cheerful  spirits  as  to  be  hardly  recognizable  for 


168  HICK   DALE 

the  despondent,  half -starved  lad  of  two  hours  before. 
"Hello,  Rick  \"  he  shouted,  as  his  friend  approached. 
"I  know  you've  had  good  luck,  for  I  see  it  in  your 
face/' 

"  Indeed  I  have !"  replied  Alaric ;  "and,  what's  more, 
I've  had  the  best  breakfast  I  ever  ate  in  my  life." 

"  That's  what  I  meant  by  luck ;  and  I've  had  the 
same. " 

"  What's  more,"  continued  Alaric,  "  I  have  brought 
something  that  was  sent  especially  to  you,  for  fear 
you  hadn't  found  anything  to  eat."  Thus  saying,  he 
handed  over  a  big  bright  silver  dollar. 

"  Well,  if  that  don't  beat  the  owls  !"  exclaimed 
Bonny  at  sight  of  the  shining  coin,  "  for  here  is  his 
twin-brother  that  was  handed  me  to  give  to  you,  or 
rather  to  the  first  fellow  I  met  who  needed  it  more 
than  I  did." 

"I  must  be  the  one,  then,"  said  Alaric,  joyously, 
"for  I  haven't  a  cent  to  my  name,  and  as  you  now 
have  two  dollars,  I'm  willing  to  divide  with  you. 
But  who  gave  it  to  you,  and  how  did  he  happen  to?" 

"The  queerest  and  dearest  old  chap  I  ever  saw. 
You  know  how  badly  I  was  feeling  when  we  sepa- 
rated. Well,  that  was  nothing  to  what  came  after- 
wards. I  set  out  to  board  every  ship  in  port  until  I 
should  find  a  cook  or  steward  who  would  fill  me  up 
and  let  me  have  something  extra  to  bring  to  you.  On 
the  first  half-dozen  or  so  I  was  treated  worse  than 
a  dog,  and  fired  ashore  almost  before  I  opened  my 
mouth.  It  made  me  feel  meaner  than  dirt,  and  but 
for  thinking  of  how  disappointed  you  would  be  if  I 
came  back  as  miserable  as  I  went,  I  should  have 
given  up  in  despair.  I  must  say,  though,  that  all  the 
fellows  who  treated  me  that  way  were  Dagoes,  Dutch, 
or  Chinamen. 

"At  length  I  boarded  a  Yankee  bark  that  carried 


PHIL   RYDER   PAYS   A    DEBT  169 

an  Irish  steward,  and  the  minute  I  said  I  was  hungry 
he  cried  out  :  '  Don't  spake  a  wurrud,  lad,  for  ye 
couldn't  do  yer  looks  justice.  Jist  be  aisy,  and  come 
wid  me/ 

"  With  that  he  led  me  to  a  sort  of  a  cuddy  at  the 
forward  end  of  the  after  deck-house,  and  set  me  down 
to  such  a  spread  as  I  haven't  seen  since  I  left  Cape 
Cod.  There  was  cold  roast  beef,  corned  beef,  pota- 
toes, bread  and  butter,  pie,  pickles,  coffee,  and — well, 
it  would  be  no  use  trying  to  tell  all  the  things  that 
steward  gave  me  to  eat,  for  you  just  wouldn't  believe 
it.  He  laid  'em  all  out,  told  me  to  pitch  in,  and  then 
went  off,  so,  as  he  said,  I'd  be  free  to  act  according  to 
nature. 

"I  sat  there  and  ate  until  I  hadn't  room  for  as 
much  as  a  huckleberry.  As  I  was  looking  at  the  last 
piece  of  squash  pie,  and  thinking  what  a  pity  it  was 
that  it  must  be  left,  I  heard  a  chuckle  behind  me,  and 
turned  around  in  a  hurry.  There  stood  one  of  the 
mates  and  the  dear  old  chap  I  was  just  telling  you 
about. 

" '  Why  don't  you  eat  it,  son  ?'  says  the  mate. 

"'Keason  enough,' says  I,  'because  I  can't;  but  if 
you  don't  mind,  sir,  I'd  like  awfully  to  take  it  to  my 
partner  in  starvation,'  meaning  you. 

" '  Who  is  he  ?  And  how  does  he  happen  to  be 
starved  ?'  says  the  dear  old  chap.  Then  I  up  and  told 
them  the  whole  story  of  our  experience  on  the  Fan- 
cy, being  chased  by  the  revenue-men,  and  all,  and  it 
tickled  'em  most  to  death. 

"  When  I  got  through,  the  stranger,  who  was  just 
down  visiting  the  vessel,  slipped  a  dollar  into  my  hand, 
and  told  me  to  give  it  to  the  first  chap  I  met  who 
needed  it  more  than  I  did.  He  said  he  used  to  know 
Cap'n  Duff,  and  told  me  a  lot  of  yarns  about  him  as 
we  walked  back  here  together." 


170  RICK    DALE 

"  Was  his  name  Jalap  Coombs  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

"  I  expect  it  must  have  been,  for  he  had  a  lot  to 
say  about  somebody  named  Kite  Koberson,  who  allus 
useter  call  him  '  Jal.'  Why  ?  Do  you  know  him  ?" 

"Yes.  That  is,  I  feel  as  if  I  did.  But,  Bonny,  I 
mustn't  stop  to  tell  you  of  my  experiences  now,  for  I 
have  made  an  important  business  engagement  for  both 
of  us  up-town,  and  we  must  attend  to  it  at  once." 


CHAPTER    XXV 
ENGAGED  TO   INTERPRET  FOR  THE   FRENCH 

"  WHERE  did  you  get  that  baseball  ?"  asked  Bonny 
Brooks, referring  to  one  that  Alaric  was  unconsciously 
tossing  from  hand  to  hand  as  they  walked  uptown 
together. 

At  this  the  latter  stopped  short  and  looked  at  the 
ball  in  question,  as  though  now  seeing  it  for  the  first 
time. 

"Do  you  know," he  said,  "I  have  been  so  excited 
and  taken  up  with  other  things  that  I  actually  forgot 
I  had  this  ball  in  my  hands.  It  belongs  to  the  fellow 
who  gave  me  that  breakfast  and  your  dollar,  besides 
telling  me  where  to  look  for  something  to  do.  Not 
only  that,  but  I  really  believe  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
this  ball  he  would  never  have  paid  any  attention  to 
me.  You  see,  we  got  to  passing  it;  and  when  I  became 
so  dizzy  that  I  had  to  sit  down,  he  asked  me  what  was 
the  matter.  So  he  found  out  somehow  that  I  was 
hungry,  though  I  don't  remember  telling  him,  and 
then  insisted  on  giving  me  a  breakfast." 

"  Who  is  he  ?    I  mean,  what  is  his  name  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.  I  never  thought  to  ask  him.  And 
he  doesn't  live  here  either,  but  has  just  come  down 
from  Alaska,  and  was  going  off  in  the  one-o'clock 
train.  I  do  know,  though,  that  he  is  the  very  finest 
chap  I  ever  met,  and  I  only  hope  I'll  have  a  chance 
some  time  to  pay  back  his  kindness  to  me  by  helping 
some  other  poor  boy." 


172  EICK  DALE 

"  It  is  funny/'  remarked  Bonny,  meditatively,  "  that 
your  friend  and  my  friend  should  both  have  just  come 
from  Alaska." 

"Isn't  it?"  replied  Alaric ;  "but  then  they  are 
travelling  together,  you  know." 

"  I  didn't  know  it,  though  I  ought  to  have  suspected 
it,  for  they  are  the  kind  who  naturally  would  travel 
together — the  kind,  I  mean,  that  give  a  fellow  an  idea 
of  how  much  real  goodness  there  is  in  the  world,  after 
all — a  sort  of  travelling  sermon,  only  one  that  is  acted 
instead  of  being  preached." 

"  That's  just  the  way  I  feel  about  them,"  agreed 
Alaric ;  "  but  I  wish  I  hadn't  been  so  careless  about 
this  ball.  It  may  be  one  that  he  values  for  associa- 
tion's sake,  just  as  I  did  the  one  we  left  in  that  Si  wash 
camp." 

"  Let  me  have  it  a  moment,"  said  Bonny,  who  was 
looking  curiously  at  the  ball. 

Alaric  handed  it  to  him,  and  he  examined  it  closely. 

"  I  do  believe  it  is  the  very  one  !"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Yes,  I  am  sure  it  is.  Don't  you  remember,  Kick, 
the  burned  place  on  your  ball  that  came  when  Bah- 
die  dropped  it  into  the  fire  the  first  time  you  threw  it 
at  him,  and  how  you  laughed  and  called  it  a  sure- 
enough  red-hot  ball  ?  Well,  here's  the  place  now, 
and  this  is  certainly  the  very  ball  that  introduced  us 
to  each  other  in  Victoria." 

"  How  can  it  be  ?"  asked  Alaric,  incredulously. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  it  surely  is." 

"  Well,"  said  Alaric,  finally  convinced  that  his  com- 
rade was  right,  "that  is  the  very  most  unexplainable 
thing  I  ever  came  across,  for  I  don't  see  how  it  could 
possibly  have  come  into  his  possession." 

While  discussing  this  strange  happening,  the  lads 
approached  the  hotel  in  which  one  of  them  had  been 
made  to  suffer  so  keenly  a  few  hours  before.  He 


ENGAGED  TO   INTERPRET  FOR  THE   FRENCH      173 

dreaded  the  very  thought  of  entering  it  again,  but 
having  made  up  his  mind  that  he  must,  was  about  to 
do  so,  when  his  attention  was  attracted  to  a  curious 
scene  in  front  of  the  main  entrance. 

A  small,  wiry  -  looking  man,  evidently  a  foreigner, 
was  gesticulating,  stamping,  and  shouting  to  a  group 
of  grinning  porters  and  bell-boys  who  were  gathered 
about  him.  As  our  lads  drew  near  they  saw  that  he 
held  a  small  open  book  in  his  hand,  from  which  he  was 
quoting  some  sentence,  while  at  the  same  time  he  was 
rapidly  working  himself  into  a  fury.  It  was  a  French- 
English  phrase-book,  in  which,  under  the  head  of  in- 
structions to  servants,  the  sentence  "Je  desire un fiacre" 
was  rendered  "  Call  me  a  hansom,"  and  it  was  this 
that  the  excited  Frenchman  was  demanding,  greatly 
to  the  amusement  and  mystification  of  his  hearers. 

"  Call  me  a  hansom  !  Call  me  a  hansom  !  Call 
me  a  hansom  I"  he  repeated  over  and  over,  at  the  top 
of  his  voice.  "  C'est  un  fiacre— fiacre— fiacre  !"  he 
shouted.  "Oh,  Id,  Id!  Mille  tonnerres!  Call  me  a 
hansom  !" 

"  He  must  be  crazy,"  said  Bonny;  "  for  he  certainly 
isn't  handsome,  and  even  if  he  were,  he  couldn't  ex- 
pect people  to  call  him  so.  I  wonder  why  they  don't 
send  for  the  police." 

Instead  of  answering  him,  Alaric  stepped  up  to  the 
laughing  group  and  said,  politely,  "Pardon,  monsieur. 
C'est  Monsieur  Filbert,  n'est-ce  pas  9" 

"Oui,  oui.     Je  suis  Filbert!    Call  me  a  hansom." 

"  He  wants  a  carriage,"  explained  Alaric  to  the  por- 
ters, who  stared  open-mouthed  at  hearing  this  young 
tramp  talk  to  the  foreigner  in  his  own  "lingo." 
"  Vous  voulez  une  voiture,  n'est-ce  pas  f"  he  added, 
turning  to  the  stranger. 

"  Oh,  my  friend  !"  cried  M.  Filbert,  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, flinging  away  the  perplexing  phrase-book  as  he 


174  RICK   DALE 

spoke,  and  embracing  Alaric  in  his  joy  at  finding  him- 
self once  more  comprehended.  "  It  is  as  the  voice 
of  an  angel  from  heaven  to  hear  again  my  own  lan- 
guage in  this  place  of  barbarians!" 

"  Have  a  care,  monsieur,"  warned  Alaric,  "  how  you 
speak  of  barbarians.  There  are  many  here  who  can 
understand  perfectly  your  language." 

"  I  care  not  for  them  !  I  do  not  see  them  !  They 
have  not  come  to  me  !  You  are  the  first !  Can  it  be 
that  I  may  engage  you  to  remain  and  interpret  for  me 
this  language  of  distraction  ?"  Here  the  speaker  drew 
back,  and  scanned  Alaric's  forlorn  appearance  hope- 
fully. 

"  That  is  what  I  came  to  see  you  about,  monsieur," 
answered  Alaric.  I  am  looking  for  employment,  and 
shall  be  happy — " 

"  It  is  enough  !"  interrupted  the  other,  vehemently. 
"You  have  found  it.  I  engage  you  now,  at  once. 
Come,  the  carriage  is  here.  Let  us  enter." 

" But," objected  the  lad,  "I  have  a  friend  whom  I 
cannot  leave." 

"Let  him  come!  Let  all  your  friends  come! 
Bring  your  whole  family  if  you  will,  but  only  stay 
with  me  yourself  !"  cried  the  Frenchman,  impetuous- 
ly. "I  am  distracted  by  my  troubles  with  this  terri- 
ble language,  and  but  for  you  I  shall  go  crazy.  You 
are  my  salvation.  So  enter  the  carriage,  and  your 
friend.  Apr&s  vous,  monsieur.  Do  you  also  speak  the 
language  of  the  beautiful  France  ?  No  ?  It  is  a 
great  pity." 

"  Does  his  royal  highness  take  us  for  dukes  ?"  ques- 
tioned the  bewildered  Bonny,  who,  not  understanding 
one  word  of  the  foregoing  conversation,  had,  of  course, 
no  idea  why  he  now  found  himself  rolling  along  the 
streets  of  Tacoma  in  one  of  its  most  luxurious  public 
carriages. 


ENGAGED  TO   INTERPRET   FOR  THE   FRENCH     175 

' '  Not  exactly/'  laughed  Alaric  ;  "  but  he  takes  us  for 
interpreters — that  is,  he  wants  to  engage  us  as  such." 

"  Oh  !  Is  that  it  ?  Well,  I'm  agreeable.  I  suppose 
you  told  him  that  I  was  pretty  well  up  on  Chinook  ? 
But  what  language  does  he  talk  himself  ?" 

"French,  of  course," replied  Alaric,  "seeing  that 
he  is  a  Frenchman." 

"  Are  you  a  Frenchman  too  ?" 

"  Certainly  not." 

"Well,  I  didn't  know  but  what  you  were,  seeing 
that  you  talk  the  same  language  he  does,  and  just  as 
well,  for  all  that  I  can  make  out.  Really,  Rick  Dale, 
it  is  growing  interesting  to  find  out  the  things  you 
know  and  can  do." 

"And  the  things  I  still  have  to  learn, "laughed  Alaric. 

Having  thus  satisfied  his  curiosity,  and  learned  that 
he  was  an  interpreter,  the  last  position  in  the  world 
for  which  he  would  have  applied,  Bonny  folded  his 
arms,  assumed  what  he  considered  a  proper  attitude 
for  the  occasion,  and  entered  upon  a  calm  enjoyment 
of  the  first  regular  carriage-ride  of  his  life.  Nor  did 
he  allow  the  animated  conversation  taking  place  be- 
tween M.  Filbert  and  Alaric  to  disturb  him  in  the 
least,  though  by  it  the  whole  future  course  of  his  life 
was  to  be  changed. 

Under  Alaric's  direction  the  carriage  first  bore  them 
to  the  railway-station,  where  a  number  of  strange- 
looking  boxes  and  packages,  all  belonging  to  M.  Fil- 
bert, were  gathered  in  one  place,  and  given  in  charge 
of  a  porter,  who  was  instructed  to  receive  and  care 
for  any  others  that  might  come  marked  with  the 
same  name.  Then  the  carriage  was  again  headed  up- 
town, and  driven  to  shop  after  shop  until  it  seemed 
as  though  the  entire  resources  of  the  city  were  to  be 
drawn  upon  to  supply  the  multitudinous  needs  of  the 
mysterious  Frenchman. 


176  RICK   DALE 

Among  the  things  thus  purchased  and  ordered  sent 
down  to  the  station  were  provisions^  cooking  uten- 
sils, axes,  medicines,  alcohol,  tents,  blankets,  ammu- 
nition, and  clothing. 

"I  don't  know  what's  up/'  reflected  Bonny,  "  and  I 
don't  care,  so  long  as  Kick  says  everything  is  all  right ; 
but  I  should  think  we  were  either  going  to  make  war 
on  the  Si  wash  or  take  a  trip  to  the  North  Pole." 

Of  course  Alaric  accompanied  M.  Filbert  into  each 
store,  where  his  knowledge  of  languages  was  invalu- 
able in  conducting  the  Various  negotiations ;  but  the 
Chinook  interpreter,  as  he  called  himself,  finding  that 
his  services  were  not  yet  in  demand,  was  content  to 
remain  luxuriously  seated  in  the  carriage.  Here  he 
discussed  the  whole  remarkable  performance  with 
the  driver,  who  was  certain  that  the  Frenchman  was 
either  going  prospecting  for  gold,  or  for  a  new  town- 
site  on  which  to  settle  a  colony  of  his  countrymen. 

During  the  whole  afternoon  M.  Filbert  talked  in- 
cessantly with  his  new-found  interpreter,  and  Alaric 
seemed  almost  as  excited  as  he.  At  length  the  for- 
mer, casting  a  dubious  glance  at  the  lads,  asked,  with 
an  apologetic  manner,  if  they  were  well  provided  with 
clothing. 

"  Only  what  you  see,  monsieur,"  answered  Alaric. 
"Everything  else  we  have  lost." 

"  Ah  !  is  it  so  ?  Then  must  you  be  provided  with 
the  habiliments  necessary.  If  you  will  kindly  give 
the  instructions  ?" 

So  the  carriage  was  ordered  to  a  shoe-shop  and  an 
outfitting  establishment,  where  both  lads,  to  Bonny's 
further  bewilderment,  were  provided  with  complete 
suits  of  rough  but  warm  and  serviceable  clothing,  in- 
cluding two  pairs  of  walking-boots,  one  of  which  was 
very  heavy  and  had  hob-nailed  soles. 

These  last  purchases  were  not  concluded  until  after 


ENGAGED  TO  INTERPRET  FOR  THE  FRENCH      177 

sunset,  and  with  them  the  business  of  the  day  was 
ended.  With  many  parting  injunctions  to  Alaric,  and 
a  polite  bon  nuit  to  both  lads,  M.  Filbert  was  driven 
back  to  the  hotel,  leaving  his  newly  engaged  assistants 
to  their  own  devices  for  the  time  being. 

"  Now,"  said  Bonny, st  if  you  haven't  forgotten  how 
to  talk  United  States,  perhaps  you  will  explain  what 
all  this  means — what  we  are  engaged  to  do,  what  our 
wages  are  to  be,  and  where  we  are  bound  ?  Are  we 
to  turn  gold-hunters  or  Indian-fighters,  or  is  it  some- 
thing in  the  exploring  line  ?" 

"  I  expect,"  laughed  Alaric,  "  it  is  to  be  more  in 
the  climbing  line." 

"Climbing?" 

"  Yes.  Do  you  see  that  mountain  over  there  ?" 
Here  Alaric  pointed  to  the  lofty  snow-capped  peak  of 
Mount  Rainier,  still  rose  -  tinted  with  sunlight,  and 
rising  in  awful  grandeur  high  above  all  other  sum- 
mits of  the  Cascade  range,  nearly  fifty  miles  from 
where  they  stood. 

"  Certainly.     I  can't  help  seeing  it." 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  climb  it  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  could,  if  it  came  in  my  line  of  busi- 
ness." 

"  Would  you  undertake  it  for  thirty  dollars  a  month 
and  all  expenses  ?" 

"Rick  Dale,  I'd  undertake  to  climb  to  the  moon  on 
those  terms.  But  you  are  surely  joking.  The  French- 
man will  never  pay  that  just  for  the  fun  of  seeing  us 
climb." 

"Yes  he  will,  though,  and  I  have  agreed  that  we 
shall  start  with  him  for  the  top  of  that  mountain  to- 
morrow morning." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
PREPARING  FOR  AN  ASCENT 

MONSIEUR  JEAN  Puvis  FILBERT  was  a  Frenchman 
of  wealth,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  Alpine  Club, 
an  enthusiastic  mountain-climber,  and  had  for  an  es- 
pecial hobby  the  making  of  botanical  collections  from 
high  altitudes.  He  was  now  on  a  leisurely  tour  around 
the  world,  and  had  recently  arrived  in  Tacoma  on  one 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  steamships  from  Japan.  This 
was  his  first  visit  to  America,  and  he  was  filled  with 
enthusiasm  by  the  superb  mountain  scenery  that 
greeted  him  on  all  sides  as  his  ship  steamed  through  the 
Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca  and  up  the  glorious  water- 
ways of  Puget  Sound.  He  gazed  longingly  at  the 
snow-crowned  Olympics,  and  went  into  ecstasies  over 
a  distant  view  of  Mount  Baker,  the  most  northerly  peak 
of  the  Cascade  range.  When  grand  old  Rainier,  loftiest 
of  all,  appeared  on  the  southeastern  horizon,  lifting 
its  hoary  head  more  than  14,000  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  intervening  plain,  he  became  silent  with  adoration, 
and  determined  that  his  first  achievement  in  America 
should  be  to  gain  that  glorious  summit. 

As  his  knowledge  of  English  was  very  limited,  our 
mountain  -  climber  began  his  preparations  for  this  ar- 
duous undertaking  by  engaging  an  interpreter.  The 
only  one  whom  he  could  find  was  a  Canadian,  who  spoke 
French  nearly  as  badly  as  he  did  English,  and  whom 
his  employer  was  quickly  obliged  to  discharge  for 
drunkenness  and  utter  incompetence.  Then  it  seemed 


PREPARING   FOR  AN  ASCENT  179 

as  though  the  expedition  on  which  M.  Filbert  had  set 
his  heart  must  be  given  up,  and  he  was  in  despair.  At 
this  critical  moment  Alaric  Todd  appeared  on  the 
scene  seeking  employment,  though  never  dreaming 
that  it  would  come  to  him  through  his  knowledge  of 
French,  and  was  received  literally  with  open  arms. 

Of  course  he  was  engaged  at  once,  and  was  able  to 
secure  a  situation  for  Bonny  Brooks  as  well,  though 
the  precise  nature  of  the  young  sailor's  duties  were 
not  defined.  Thus  Bonny  was  allowed  to  regard  him- 
self as  also  holding  the  rank  of  interpreter,  whose  ser- 
vices would  be  invaluable  in  the  event  of  an  encounter 
with  Indians,  who,  for  all  he  knew,  might  contest  ev- 
ery foot  of  their  way  up  the  great  mountain. 

To  this  young  man  the  climbing  of  a  mountain 
seemed  a  very  foolish  and  profitless  undertaking,  for, 
as  he  said,  "  The  only  thing  we  can  do  when  we  get  up 
there  is  to  turn  around  and  come  down  again.  But 
you  mustn't  think,  Rick,  that  Fm  trying  to  back  out. 
No,  siree.  Just  so  long  as  I  am  paid  to  climb  I'll 
climb,  even  if  it  comes  to  shinning  up  the  North  Pole 
and  interpreting  the  Constitution  to  the  polar  bears." 

M.  Filbert  wished  the  boys  to  spend  the  night  with 
him  at  the  hotel,  but  Alaric  was  still  so  sore  over  his 
morning's  experience  that  he  begged  to  be  excused. 
So  when  they  were  left  to  themselves  they  carried 
their  recently  acquired  belongings  down  to  the  railway- 
station,  and  persuaded  the  agent  to  allow  them  to  sleep 
in  that  corner  of  the  baggage-room  devoted  to  their 
employer's  collection  of  chattels.  Here  they  put  on 
their  new  suits,  and  then,  feeling  once  more  intensely 
respectable,  and  well  content  with  their  own  appear- 
ance, each  invited  the  other  to  dine  with  him.  Had 
they  not  two  whole  dollars  between  them,  and  was  not 
that  enough  to  make  them  independent  of  the  world  ? 

They  procured  a  bountiful  dinner  in  the  restaurant 


180  RICK   DALE 

where  Alaric  had  breakfasted,  and  with  it  ate  up  one 
of  their  dollars.  The  place  was  so  associated  in  their 
minds  with  the  fine  young  fellow  to  whom  they  owed 
all  their  present  good  fortune  that  they  thought  and 
talked  much  of  him  during  the  meal.  Kecalling  what 
he  had  said  concerning  his  father  reminded  Alaric 
of  his  own  parent,  and  caused  him  to  wonder  if  he 
were  yet  aware  that  his  younger  son  was  not  travel- 
ling around  the  world  with  the  Sonntaggs  as  he  had 
planned. 

"If  the  dear  old  dad  has  heard  of  my  disappearance/' 
reflected  the  boy,  "  he  must  be  a  good  deal  worried, 
for  he  has  no  idea  of  how  well  I  can  take  care  of  my- 
self. I  believe  I  would  write  to  him  if  I  only  knew 
his  address.  He  said  to  send  all  letters  to  the  bank ; 
but  I  can't  do  that,  because  John,  who  must  have  heard 
from  the  Sonntaggs  by  this  time,  would  be  certain  to 
recognize  the  handwriting  and  open  it.  I  know  what, 
though.  Ill  write  to  Cousin  Esther,  and  ask  her  to 
tell  dad  all  about  me.  She  is  sure  to  see  him  on  his 
way  home,  for  he  always  visits  Uncle  Dale's  when  he 
is  in  Boston." 

So  after  supper,  Alaric,  who  was  beginning  to  have 
a  lively  appreciation  of  the  value  of  money,  as  well  as 
of  fathers,  cautiously  invested  four  cents  in  a  sheet  of 
paper,  an  envelope,  and  a  stamp,  all  of  which  he  was 
able  to  procure  from  the  proprietor  of  the  restaurant. 
The  boy  smiled,  as  he  carefully  pocketed  his  one  cent 
of  change,  to  think  on  what  a  different  scale  he  would 
have  made  a  similar  purchase  less  than  a  month  be- 
fore. Then  he  would  have  ordered  a  box  of  note- 
paper,  another  of  envelopes,  and  a  whole  sheet  of 
stamps.  As  for  the  change,  why,  there  wouldn't  have 
been  any,  for  he  would  simply  have  said,  "  Charge  it, 
please,"  and  it  would  have  been  charged  to  his  father's 
account. 


PREPARING  FOR  AN  ASCENT  181 

When  Bonny  saw  that  Alaric  was  about  to  write  a 
letter,  he  decided  to  write  one  to  his  aunt  Nancy  at 
the  same  time.  "For,"  said  he,  "she  probably  im- 
agines that  I  am  in  China  by  now,  and  would  never 
think  of  sending  word  to  me  here  in  case  she  got  any 
news  of  father."  So  Bonny  also  invested  four  cents 
in  stationery ;  and  the  restaurant  man  good-naturedly 
allowing  them  to  use  a  table,  besides  loaning  them 
pens  and  a  bottle  of  ink,  they  sat  down  to  compose 
their  respective  epistles.  When  Alaric's  letter  was 
finished  it  read  as  follows  : 


"  DEAR  COUSIN  ESTHER,— I  have  taken  your  advice  and  run 
away — that  is,  I  have  done  what  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  for 
I  just  sat  still  and  let  the  other  folks  run  away.  By  this  time 
I  expect  they  are  in  China,  while  I  am  here  in  the  very  place 
you  said  you  would  be  if  you  were  a  boy.  I  wish  you  were 
one  so  you  could  be  here  with  me  now,  for  I  think  you  would 
make  a  first  class  boy.  I  am  learning  to  be  one  as  fast  as  I  can, 
a  real  truly  boy,  I  mean,  and  not  a  make-believe.  I  have  al- 
ready learned  how  to  smuggle,  and  catch  a  baseball,  besides 
a  little  batting,  and  to  swim,  sail  a  boat,  paddle  a  canoe,  talk 
some  Siwash,  and  have  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  be- 
sides. 

"Now  I  am  an  interpreter  and  engaged  in  the  mountain- 
climbing  business.  We  start  to-morrow. 

"  I  have  a  partner  who  is  a  splendid  chap,  about  my  age,  and 
named  Bonny  Brooks.  I  know  you  would  like  him,  for  he  is 
such  a  regular  boy,  and  knows  just  how  to  do  things. 

' '  When  you  see  my  dear  dad,  please  give  him  my  warmest 
love,  and  tell  him  I  think  more  of  him  now  than  I  ever  did. 
Please  make  him  understand  that  it  was  the  Sonntaggs  who  ran 
away,  and  not  I.  Tell  him  that  when  I  am  through  experiment- 
ing with  my  heart,  and  have  become  a  genuine  boy  like  Bonny, 
I  am  coming  back  to  him,  to  learn  how  to  be  a  man — that  is,  I 
will  if  I  can  afford  to  pay  my  way  to  San  Francisco.  But  you 
have  no  idea  how  much  money  intakes  to  travel,  especially 
when  you  have  to  earn  it  yourself,  and  so  far  I  haven't  earned 
any.  Still  I  have  not  starved — that  is,  not  very  often — so  far, 
and  am  in  hopes  of  having  plenty  to  eat  from  this  time  on. 


182  RICK  BALE 

Now  I  must  say  good-bye  because  we  are  going  to  sleep  in  th* 
station  to-night,  and  it  closes  early. 

' '  Ever  your  loving  cousin,  RICK." 

"  P.S.  —The  principal  reason  I  let  the  Sonntaggs  go  was  be- 
cause they  called  me  '  Allie.'  Please  tell  this  to  dad." 

Bonny's  letter  was  not  so  long  as  Alaric's,  but  it 
described  the  situation  with  equal  vagueness.  He 
wrote  : 

"  DEAR  AUNT  NANCY, — I  am  not  in  China,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose, having  quit  the  sea  after  rising  to  be  first  mate.  Have 
also  been  a  smuggler,  but  am  not  any  more.  Am  now  engaged 
by  the  French  as  interpreter,  and  so  far  like  the  business  very 
well.  Have  also  gone  into  the  climbing  trade.  We  are  to  do 
our  first  mountain  to-morrow.  Have  for  a  chum  one  of  the 
cleverest  chaps  you  ever  saw.  He  can  talk  most  any  language 
except  Chinook,  and  is  a  daisy  ball-catcher.  His  name  is  Rick 
Dale,  and  I  am  trying  hard  to  be  just  like  him.  If  you  have 
any  news  from  father,  please  let  me  know.  You  can  send  a 
letter  in  care  of  Mr.  P.  Bear,  Hotel  Tacoma,  which  is  our  head- 
quarters. Ever  your  loving  nephew, 

"B.  BROOKS,  Interpreter." 

Both  these  letters  were  sent  to  Massachusetts, 
Alaric's  being  addressed  to  Boston,  and  Bonny's  to 
Sandport.  After  they  were  posted,  and  our  lads  were 
on  their  way  back  to  the  railway  station,  they  began 
for  the  first  time  to  realize  how  very  tired  and  sleepy 
they  were.  They  were  so  utterly  weary  that  as  they 
snuggled  down  in  their  corner  of  the  baggage-room, 
on  a  bed  made  of  M.  Filbert's  tents  and  blankets, 
Alaric  remarked  : 

"This  is  what  I  call  solid  comfort." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Bonny,  "  we  certainly  have  struck 
a  big  streak  of  luck.  Do  you  remember  how  we  were 
feeling  about  this  time  last  night  ?" 

"No,"  answered  Alaric,  "I  can't  remember.     It's 


PREPARING    FOR   AN   ASCENT  183 

too  long  ago.  Good-night/'  And  in  another  min- 
ute both  boys  were  fast  asleep. 

They  had  taken  "  through  tickets/'  as  Bonny  would 
have  said,  and  slept  so  soundly  that  they  hardly 
stirred  until  the  agent  flung  open  the  baggage-room 
door  at  six  o'clock  the  following  morning,  and  caused 
them  to  spring  from  their  blankets  in  a  hurry  by 
shouting,  "  All  aboard  !"  A  dash  of  cold  water  from 
the  hydrant  outside  drove  all  traces  of  sleep  from 
their  eyes,  and  so  filled  them  with  its  fresh  vigor  that 
they  raced  all  the  way  up-town  to  the  restaurant. 
Here,  although  their  appetites  were  keen  as  ever,  they 
managed  to  satisfy  them  with  a  ninety-cent  breakfast, 
"and  left  the  place  with  money  still  in  their  pockets/' 
as  Alaric  expressed  it. 

"That's  so,"  responded  Bonny.  "  We've  just  one 
cent  apiece.  Let's  toss  up  to  see  who  will  have  them 
both." 

"  No,"  said  Alaric,  "  for  that  would  be  gambling ; 
and  I  promised  my  mother  long  ago  at  Monte  Carlo 
never  to  gamble.  She  said  more  fortunes  were  lost 
and  fewer  won  in  that  way  than  by  any  other." 

"  But  one  cent  isn't  a  fortune,"  objected  Bonny. 

"  Why  not  ?  A  man's  fortune  is  all  that  he  has, 
and  if  you  have  but  one  cent,  then  that  is  your  fort- 
une." 

"  I  guess  you  are  right,  Rick  Dale,"  laughed  Bon- 
ny. "I  hate  gambling  as  much  as  you  do;  but  it 
never  seemed  to  me  before  that  tossing  pennies  was 
gambling.  I  expect  it  is,  though,  so  I'll  just  keep 
my  fortune  in  my  pocket,  and  not  risk  it  on  any  such 
foolishness." 

As  the  lads  hastened  back  to  the  station,  where  they 
were  to  meet  their  employer,  the  glorious  mountain 
that  was  now  the  goal  of  their  ambition  reared  its 
mighty  crest,  radiant  with  sunlight,  directly  before 


184  HICK   DALE 

them.  So  wonderfully  clear  was  the  atmosphere  that 
it  did  not  seem  ten  miles  away,  and  Bonny,  shaking 
a  fist  at  it,  cried,  cheerfully :  "  Never  you  mind,  old 
fellow,  we'll  soon  have  you  under  foot." 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 
BONNY   COMMANDS  THE   SITUATION 

OUR  lads  had  barely  time  to  do  up  the  tents  and 
blankets  they  had  used  for  bedding  into  compact  bun- 
dles before  M .  Filbert  arrived,  with  his  servant  Fran- 
9ois,  and  a  carriage  full  of  packages,  including  a  bun- 
dle of  iron-shod  alpenstocks.  He  was  clad  in  what 
appeared  to  Bonny  and  the  idlers  about  the  station 
a  very  curious  costume,  though  to  Alaric,  who  had 
often  seen  its  like  in  Switzerland,  it  did  not  seem  at 
all  out  of  the  way.  It  consisted  of  a  coat  and  knee- 
breeches  of  dark  green  velveteen,  a  waistcoat  of  scar- 
let cloth,  stout  yarn  stockings  patterned  in  green  and 
scarlet  and  folded  over  at  the  knees,  the  heaviest  of 
laced  walking-boots  with  hobnailed  soles,  and  a  soft 
Tyrolese  hat,  in  which  was  stuck  a  jaunty  cock's 
feather. 

He  was  full  of  excited  bustle,  and  the  moment  he 
caught  sight  of  Alaric  began  to  shower  questions  and 
directions  upon  him  with  bewildering  rapidity.  At 
length,  thanks  to  Alaric's  clear  head  and  Bonny's 
practical  common-sense,  confusion  was  reduced  to  or- 
der, and  everything  was  got  on  board  the  train  that 
was  to  carry  the  expedition  to  Yelm  Prairie,  a  station 
about  twenty  miles  south  of  Tacoma,  from  which  the 
real  start  was  to  be  made. 

The  arrival  at  Yelm  Prairie  produced  an  excitement 
equal  to  that  of  a  circus,  and  our  friends  had  hardly 
alighted  from  the  train  before  they  were  surrounded 


186  RICK   DALE 

by  a  clamorous  throng  of  would-be  guides,  packers, 
teamsters,  owners  of  saddle  -  animals  or  pack -ponies, 
and  a  score  of  others,  who  were  loud  in  declaring  that 
without  their  services  the  expedition  would  surely 
come  to  grief. 

In  vain  did  the  bewildered  Frenchman  storm  and 
rave,  and  stamp  his  feet  and  gesticulate.  Not  one 
word  that  he  said  could  be  understood  by  the  crowd, 
who,  in  their  efforts  to  attract  his  attention,  only 
shouted  the  louder  and  pressed  about  him  more  close- 
ly. Finally  the  poor  man,  turning  to  Alaric  and  say- 
ing, "  Do  what  you  will.  Everything  I  leave  to  you," 
clapped  his  hands  to  his  ears,  broke  through  the  up- 
roarious throng,  and  started  on  a  run  for  the  open 
prairie. 

"He  leaves  everything  to  us,"  said  Alaric,  who  was 
almost  as  bewildered  by  the  clamor  and  novelty  of  the 
situation  as  was  M.  Filbert  himself. 

"  Good  enough  !"  cried  Bonny.  "  Now  we  will  be 
able  to  do  something.  I  take  it  that  on  this  cruise 
you  are  first  mate  and  I  am  second.  So  if  you'll  just 
give  the  word  to  go  ahead,  I'll  settle  the  business  in 
a  hurry." 

"I  only  wish  you  would,"  returned  Alaric,  "for  it 
looks  as  though  we  were  going  to  be  mobbed." 

Armed  with  this  authority,  Bonny  sprang  on  a  pack- 
ing-case that  lifted  him  well  above  his  surroundings, 
and  shouted  :  "  Fellow-citizens  !" 

Instantly  there  came  a  hush  of  curious  expectancy. 

"  I  reckon  all  you  men  are  looking  for  a  job  ?" 

"That's  about  the  size  of  it,"  answered  several 
voices. 

"  Very  well ;  I'll  give  you  one  that  '11  prove  just 
about  the  biggest  contract  ever  let  out  in  Yelm  Prairie. 
It  is  to  shut  your  mouths  and  keep  quiet." 

Here  the  speaker  was  greeted  by  angry  murmurs 


BONNY    COMMANDS   THE   SITUATION  187 

and  cries  of  "None  of  yer  chaff,  young  feller !"  "  What 
are  you  giving  us  ?"  and  the  like. 

Nothing  daunted,  Bonny  continued  :  "  I'm  not  fool- 
ing. I'm  in  dead  earnest.  What  we  are  after  is  quiet, 
and  the  prince  out  there,  whom  you  have  scared  away 
with  your  racket,  is  so  bound  to  have  it  that  he's  will- 
ing to  pay  handsomely  for  it.  He's  got  the  money, 
too,  and  don't  you  forget  it.  He  wants  to  hire  several 
guides  and  packers,  also  a  lot  of  saddle-horses  and 
ponieg,  but  a  noisy,  loud-talking  chap  he  can't  abide, 
and  won't  have  round.  He  has  left  the  whole  business 
to  my  partner  here  and  me  to  settle,  seeing  that  we  are 
his  interpreters,  and  we  are  going  to  do  it  the  way  he 
pays  us  to  do  it  and  wants  it  done.  So,  according  to 
the  rule  we've  laid  down  in  all  our  travellings  and 
mountain-climbings  up  to  date,  the  man  who  speaks 
last  will  be  hired  first,  and  the  fellow  who  makes  the 
most  noise  won't  be  given  any  show  at  all.  Sabe  ?  As 
an  example,  we  want  a  team  to  take  our  dunnage  to 
the  river,  and  I'm  going  to  give  the  job  to  that  fellow 
sitting  in  the  wagon,  who  hasn't  so  far  spoken  a  word." 

"  Good  reason  why !  He's  deaf  and  dumb  !"  shouted 
a  voice. 

"All  the  better,"  replied  Bonny,  in  no  wise  abashed. 
"  That's  the  kind  we  want.  There  are  two  more  chaps 
who  haven't  said  anything  that  I've  heard,  and  I'm 
going  to  give  them  the  job  of  pitching  camp  for  us. 
I  mean  those  two  Si  wash  at  the  end  of  the  platform." 

"  They  are  quiet  because  they  can't  speak  any  Eng- 
lish," remonstrated  some  of  those  who  stood  near  by. 

' '  We  don't  mind  that,  though  we  are  French,"  re- 
plied Bonny,  cheerfully.  "You  see,  the  prince  looked 
out  for  such  things  when  he  engaged  us  interpreters, 
and  now  we  are  ready  to  talk  to  every  man  in  his  own 
language,  including  Chinook  and  United  States.  Now 
the  only  other  thing  I've  got  to  say  is  that  we  won't 
13 


188  RICK   DALE 

be  ready  to  consider  any  further  business  proposals 
until  two  o'clock  this  afternoon,  and  anybody  coming 
to  our  camp  before  that  time  will  lose  his  chance. 
After  that  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  all,  and  the  fel- 
lows that  make  the  least  talk  will  stand  the  best  show 
of  getting  a  job." 

The  effect  of  this  bold  proposition  was  surprising. 
Instead  of  exciting  wrath  and  causing  hostile  demon- 
strations, as  Alaric  feared,  its  quieting  influence  was 
magical.  Times  were  hard  in  Yelm  Prairie,  and  a 
well-paid  trip  up  the  mountain,  or  the  chance  to  ob- 
tain a  dollar  a  day  for  the  hire  of  a  pony,  was  not  to 
be  despised. 

So  Bonny  was  allowed  to  engage  the  deaf-and-dumb 
teamster  by  signs,  and  the  two  Indians  by  a  few  words 
of  Chinook,  without  hinderance.  All  these  worked 
with  such  intelligence  and  expedition  that  within  an 
hour  one  of  the  neatest  camps  ever  seen  in  that  sec- 
tion was  ready  for  occupancy  beside  the  white  waters 
of  the  glacier-fed  Nisqually. 

When  M.  Filbert,  who  spied  it  from  afar,  came  in 
soon  afterwards,  with  hands  and  pockets  full  of  floral 
specimens,  he  found  a  comfortably  arranged  tent  and 
a  bountiful  camp  dinner  awaiting  him.  At  sight  of 
these  things  his  peace  of  mind  was  fully  restored,  and 
he  congratulated  himself  on  having  secured  such  skil- 
ful interpreters  of  both  his  words  and  wishes  as  the 
lads  through  whom  they  had  been  accomplished. 

Promptly  at  the  hour  named  by  Bonny  a  motley 
but  orderly  throng  of  men,  mules,  and  ponies  presented 
themselves  at  the  camp,  and  the  whole  afternoon  was 
spent  in  making  a  selection  of  animals  and  testing  the 
skill  of  packers.  Both  Alaric  and  Bonny  were  inex- 
perienced riders,  but  neither  of  them  hesitated  when 
invited  to  mount  and  try  the  steeds  offered  for  their 
use.  A  moment  later  Bonny  was  sprawling  on  the 


BONNY   COMMANDS   THE   SITUATION  189 

ground,  with  his  pony  gazing  at  him  demurely,  while 
Alaric  was  flying  over  the  prairie  at  a  speed  that 
quickly  carried  him  out  of  sight.  It  was  nearly  an 
hour  before  he  returned,  dishevelled  and  flushed  with 
excitement,  but  triumphant,  and  with  his  pony  cured 
of  his  desire  for  bolting — at  least,  for  a  time. 

By  nightfall  the  selections  and  engagements  had 
been  made,  and  the  expedition  was  strengthened  by 
the  addition  of  two  white  men  to  act  as  packers,  two 
Indians  who  were  to  serve  as  guides  and  hunters,  five 
saddle-ponies,  and  as  many  pack-animals. 

That  night  our  lads  slept  under  canvas  for  the  first 
time,  and  as  they  lay  on  their  blankets  discussing  the 
novelty  of  the  situation,  Bonny  said : 

"I  tell  you  what,  Rick,  this  mountain-climbing  is  a 
more  serious  business  than  some  folks  think.  When 
you  first  told  me  what  our  job  was  to  be  I  had  a 
sort  of  an  idea  that  we  could  get  to  the  top  of  old 
Rainier  easy  enough  in  one  day  and  come  back  the 
next.  So  I  couldn't  imagine  why  Mr.  Bear  should 
want  to  engage  us  by  the  month.  Now,  though,  it 
begins  to  look  as  though  we  were  in  for  something  of 
a  cruise." 

"I  should  say  so,"  laughed  Alaric,  who  had  learned 
a  great  deal  about  mountain-climbing  in  Switzerland. 
"  It  would  probably  take  the  best  part  of  a  week  to 
go  from  here  straight  to  the  summit  and  back  again. 
But  we  shall  be  gone  much  longer  than  that,  for  we 
are  to  make  a  camp  somewhere  near  the  snow-line, 
and  spend  a  fortnight  or  so  up  there  collecting  flowers 
and  things." 

"  Flowers  ?"  said  Bonny,  inquiringly. 

"Yes.  M.  Filbert  is  a  botanist,  you  know,  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  mountain  flora.  But  I  say, 
Bonny,  what  makes  you  call  him  '  Mr.  Bear '  ?" 

"  Because  I  thought  that  was  his  name.    I  know  yon 


190  KICK   DALE 

call  him  'Phil  Bear/ but  I  never  was  one  to  become 
familiar  with  a  cap'n  on  short  acquaintance." 

"Ho  !  ho  I"  Alaric  laughed ;  "that's  a  good  one. 
Why,  Bonny,  Filbert  is  the  surname.  F-i-1-b-e-r-t — 
the  same  as  the  nut,  you  know,  only  the  French  pro- 
nounce things  differently  from  what  we  do." 

"I  should  say  they  did  if  that's  a  specimen,  and 
I'm  glad  I'm  not  expected  to  talk  in  any  such  lan- 
guage. Plain  Chinook  and  every-day  North  Ameri- 
can are  good  enough  for  me.  I  suppose  he  would 
say  '  Kainy '  for  Rainier?" 

"  Something  very  like  it.  I  see  you  are  catching 
the  accent.  We'll  make  a  Frenchman  of  you  yet  be- 
fore this  trip  is  ended." 

"  Humph  !"  ejaculated  Bonny.  "  Not  if  I  know  it, 
you  won't." 

Sunrise  of  the  following  morning  found  the  horse- 
men of  the  expedition  galloping  over  the  brown  sward 
of  the  park -like  prairie  towards  the  forest  that  for 
hundreds  of  miles  covers  the  whole  western  slope  of 
the  Cascade  range  like  a  vast  green  blanket.  The 
road  soon  entered  the  timber  and  began  a  gradual  as- 
cent, winding  among  the  trunks  of  stately  firs  and 
gigantic  cedars  that  often  shot  upward  for  more  than 
one  hundred  feet  before  a  branch  broke  their  column- 
like  regularity. 

By  noon  they  were  at  Indian  Henry^s,  twenty  miles 
on  their  way,  and  at  the  end  of  the  wagon-road.  That 
night  camp  was  pitched  in  the  dense  timber,  and  our 
lads  had  their  first  taste  of  life  in  the  forest.  How 
snugly  they  were  walled  in  by  those  close  -  crowd- 
ing tree-trunks,  and  how  they  revelled  in  the  roaring 
camp-fire,  with  its  leaping  flames,  showers  of  dancing 
sparks,  and  perfume  of  burning  cedar !  What  a  de- 
light it  was  to  lie  on  their  blankets  just  within  its 
circle  of  light  and  warmth,  listening  to  its  crisp  crack- 


BONNY   COMMANDS  THE   SITUATION  191 

lings  !  Mingled  with  these  was  the  cheery  voice  of  a 
tumbling  stream  that  came  from  the  blackness  beyond, 
and  the  soft  murmurings  of  night  winds  among  the 
branches  far  above  them. 

Another  day's  journey  through  the  same  grand  for- 
est,, only  broken  by  the  verdant  length  of  Succotash 
Valley,  and  by  the  rocky  beds  of  many  streams,  brought 
them  to  Longmire's  Springs  and  the  log  cabins  of  the 
hardy  settler  who  had  given  them  his  name.  At  this 
point,  though  they  had  been  steadily  ascending  ever 
since  leaving  Yelm  Prairie,  they  were  still  less  than 
three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  real  work 
of  climbing  was  not  yet  begun.  After  an  evening 
spent  in  listening  to  Longmire's  thrilling  descriptions 
of  the  difficulties  and  clangers  awaiting  them,  Bonny 
admitted  to  Alaric  that  he  had  never  before  enter- 
tained even  a  small  idea  of  what  a  mountain  really 
was. 


CHAPTER   XXVIH 
ON  THE  EDGE   OF   PABADISE  VALLEY 

FROM  the  springs  a  four-mile  scramble  through  the 
woods  and  up  the  rocky  beds  of  ancient  waterways 
brought  the  party  to  a  place  where  the  Nisqually 
River  must  be  crossed.  Here  a  single  giant  tree  had 
been  felled  so  as  to  span  the  torrent,  and  its  upper 
surface  roughly  hewn  to  a  level.  A  short  distance 
above  the  rude  bridge  rose  the  frowning  front  of  a 
glacier.  Although  its  ice  was  mud-stained  and  honey- 
combed by  countless  rivulets  that  poured  from  its 
upper  surface  in  tiny  cascades,  it  still  formed  an  in- 
spiring spectacle,  and  one  that  filled  Bonny  with  won- 
dering admiration,  for  it  was  his  first  glacier. 

From  an  arched  ice  cavern  at  its  base  poured  the 
milk  -  white  river,  with  a  hollow  roaring,  and  such 
force  that  fair  -  sized  bowlders  were  swept  down  its 
channel  as  though  they  were  so  many  sticks  of  wood. 
The  whole  scene  was  of  such  fascinating  interest  that 
it  very  nearly  brought  poor  Bonny  to  grief. 

He  had  dismounted,  and  was  preparing  to  follow  M. 
Filbert  and  Alaric,  who  had  already  led  their  ponies 
in  safety  across  the  narrow  bridge.  These  animals 
had  crossed  so  readily  that  he  supposed  his  would  do 
the  same,  and,  as  he  stepped  out  on  the  great  log,  was 
paying  far  more  attention  to  the  glacier  than  to  it. 
Suddenly  he  was  jerked  violently  backward,  pitched 
headlong  down  the  bank,  and  barely  saved  himself 
from  the  icy  torrent  by  clutching  at  a  friendly  bush. 


BONNY   WAS  JERKED  VIOLENTLY  BACKWARD 


ON   THE   EDGE    OF    PARADISE   VALLEY  193 

At  the  same  moment  his  pony,  who  had  no  confidence 
in  mountain  bridges,  dashed  into  the  roaring  stream, 
was  instantly  swept  from  his  footing,  rolled  over  and 
over,  and  borne  struggling  away  towards  what  seemed 
certain  destruction.  By  the  good  fortune  that  at- 
tends all  fools,  animals  as  well  as  human,  he  managed 
to  escape  both  drowning  and  broken  bones,  and  finally 
regained  his  feet  on  a  friendly  reef  that  projected  into 
the  river  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  bridge.  There 
he  stood  trembling,  bruised,  and  dripping  when  Bon- 
ny and  one  of  the  Indians,  who  had  hastened  down  the 
bank  to  discover  his  fate,  found  him  a  few  minutes 
later.  From  that  time  forth  he  was  the  meekest  and 
most  docile  pony  imaginable,  suffering  himself  not  only 
to  be  led  over  the  log  bridge  without  remonstrance, 
but  wherever  else  his  young  master  desired. 

From  the  scene  of  this  incident  a  hard  scramble  up 
a  heavily  timbered  slope,  so  precipitous  that  it  could 
only  be  overcome  by  a  series  of  zigzags,  lifted  the  ex- 
pedition a  thousand  feet  above  the  glacier,  and  carried 
them  into  a  park-like  meadow  so  carpeted  and  fringed 
with  flowers  as  to  throw  M.  Filbert  into  an  ecstasy  of 
delight.  The  remainder  of  that  day's  ride  led  through 
many  more  of  these  exquisite,  flower-decked  mountain 
meadows  separated  by  belts  of  timber,  and  rising  one 
above  the  other,  after  the  manner  of  terraces. 

Largest  and  most  beautiful  of  them  all  was  Para- 
dise Valley,  a  broad  sweep  of  flower  -  painted  sward 
dotted  with  graceful  clumps  of  alpine  firs  and  hem- 
locks, and  nestled  at  the  base  of  a  mighty  frowning 
cliff.  It  was  bisected  by  a  rippling  stream  that  en- 
tered its  upper  end  by  a  shimmering  fall  of  nearly  one 
thousand  feet  in  height. 

High  above  this  lovely  valley,  and  close  to  the  line 
where  snow  and  timber  met,  M.  Filbert  called  a  halt, 
and  ordered  the  permanent  camp  to  be  pitched.  Al- 


194  RICK  DALE 

though  this  point  was  less  than  half-way  to  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  or  only  6500  feet  above  sea-level,  the 
ponies  could  climb  no  higher,  and,  after  being  un- 
laden, were  sent  back  in  charge  of  the  packers  into 
Paradise  Valley,  where  they  might  fatten  on  its  juicy 
grasses  until  needed  for  the  return  trip. 

From  here,  then,  the  rugged  slope  of  ice,  snow,  and 
rock  that  stretched  indefinitely  upward  towards  the 
far-away  shining  summit  must  be  traversed  on  foot 
or  not  at  all.  But  this  was  not  to  be  done  now,  nor  for 
days  to  come,  during  which  the  camp  just  pitched  was 
to  be  the  base  of  a  wide-spread  series  of  explorations. 

A  few  straggling  hemlocks,  so  bent  by  the  ice-laden 
winds  that  swept  down  the  mountain-side  in  winter 
that  they  looked  like  decrepit  old  men,  furnished 
shelter,  fuel,  and  bedding.  An  ice-cold  stream  sup- 
plied water,  the  Indian  hunters  provided  fresh  meat, 
bringing  in  now  a  mountain-goat  or  a  few  brace  of 
ptarmigan,  and  occasionally  fetching  up  a  deer  from 
one  of  the  flowery  meadows  a  few  thousand  feet  below. 
The  supplies  of  other  kinds  of  food,  of  warm  clothing 
and  bedding,  were  ample,  and  so,  in  spite  of  its  lofty 
and  solitary  situation,  that  mountain-camp  seemed  to 
our  lads  one  of  the  pleasantest  and  most  comfortable 
places  they  had  ever  known. 

"It  beats  the  sloop  away  out  of  sight,"  remarked 
Bonny. 

"  Or  Skookum  John's/'  said  Alaric. 

"  Yes,  or  being  chased  and  starved." 

"  The  best  of  it  all  is  that  up  here  I  seem  to  amount 
to  something,"  added  Alaric. 

This  was,  after  all,  the  true  secret  of  our  lads'  con- 
tent ;  for,  in  spite  of  its  novelty,  the  present  situation 
would  quickly  have  grown  wearisome  had  they  not 
been  constantly  and  happily  occupied.  Every  day  that 
the  weather  would  permit  they  tramped  from  early 


ON   THE   EDGE   OF   PARADISE   VALLEY  195 

morning  until  dark  over  snow-fields  and  glaciers,  scaled 
cliffs,  scrambled  down  into  valley-like  meadows  set  like 
green  jewels  in  the  grim  mountain-side,  threaded  their 
way  amid  the  fantastic  forms  of  stunted  forests,  toiled 
slowly  up  lofty  heights,  or  slid  with  the  speed  of  tobog- 
gans down  gleaming  slopes.  Each  day  they  gained  in 
agility  and  daring,  and  each  night  they  returned  to 
that  cheery  camp  with  its  light,  warmth,  and  abound- 
ing comforts,  so  healthfully  tired  and  so  ravenously 
hungry  that  it  is  no  wonder  they  grew  to  look  upon  it 
as  a  home,  and  a  very  pleasant  one. 

Both  lads  developed  specialties  in  which  they  became 
expert.  Alaric's  was  photography,  an  art  that  he  had 
acquired  in  France,  and  had  practised  at  intervals  for 
more  than  a  year.  As  soon  as  M.  Filbert  discovered 
this  knowledge  on  the  part  of  his  young  interpreter, 
he  intrusted  him  with  the  camera,  and  never  had  the 
lad  devoted  himself  to  anything  with  such  enthu- 
siasm as  he  now  did  to  the  capturing  of  views.  His 
greatest  triumph  came  through  hours  of  tedious  and 
noiseless  creeping  over  a  rough  ice-field  that  finally 
placed  him  within  twenty  yards  of  a  couple  of  moun- 
tain-goats. 

Although  the  wind  was  blowing  strongly  from  them 
to  him,  the  timid  creatures  were  already  alarmed,  and 
were  sniffing  the  air  suspiciously  when  a  click  of  the 
camera's  shutter  sent  them  off  like  a  flash.  But  the 
shot  had  been  successful,  as  was  shown  by  the  develop- 
ment of  a  perfect  plate  that  evening.  M.  Filbert  was 
jubilant  over  this  feat,  which  he  said  had  never  be- 
fore been  accomplished,  and  complimented  the  lad  in 
flattering  terms  upon  the  skilful  patience  that  had  led 
to  it. 

Bonny's  specialty  lay  in  the  collecting  of  flowers,  to 
which  he  had  devoted  himself  assiduously  ever  since 
learning  that  they  were  what  the  little  Frenchman 


196  HICK   DALE 

most  desired.  Keen-eyed,  nimble-footed,  and  tireless, 
he  discovered  and  secured  many  a  rare  specimen  that 
but  for  him  would  have  been  passed  unnoticed. 

Thus  the  leader  of  the  expedition  found  reason  to 
value  the  good  qualities  of  his  young  assistants  more 
highly  with  each  day,  and  was  already  planning  to 
have  them  accompany  him  on  his  entire  American 
tour,  during  which  he  proposed  to  ascend  at  least  a 
dozen  more  mountains.  Bonny  was  jubilant  over  the 
prospect  of  such  a  trip,  and  was  now  as  eager  to  learn 
French,  in  order  to  qualify  himself  for  it,  as  he  had 
formerly  been  scornful  of  the  language. 

With  all  this  open-air  life  and  splendid  physical  ex- 
ercise, the  one-time  pale-faced  and  slender  Alaric  was 
broadening  and  developing  beyond  belief.  His  cheeks 
were  now  a  ruddy  brown,  his  eyes  were  clear,  his  mus- 
cles hard,  and  his  step  as  springy  as  that  of  a  mountain- 
goat.  Above  everything  else  in  his  own  estimation  he 
was  learning  to  swing  an  axe  with  precision,  and  could 
now  chop  a  log  in  two  almost  as  neatly  as  Bonny  himself. 

For  all  that  they  were  so  constantly  and  agreeably 
occupied,  the  boys  were  possessed  of  a  great  and  ever- 
increasing  longing  to  stand  on  the  lofty  but  still  dis- 
tant summit,  with  the  general  aspect  of  which  they 
had  become  so  familiar  during  their  stay  in  the  tim- 
ber-line camp.  Thus,  when  one  evening  M.  Filbert 
decided  to  make  a  start  towards  it  on  the  morrow, 
they  hailed  the  announcement  with  joy.  One  of  the 
Indians  was  to  accompany  them  as  guide,  while  his 
fellow  was  to  be  left  with  Fra^ois  to  keep  camp. 

The  greater  part  of  the  following  morning  was  de- 
voted to  making  preparations  for  the  climb  and  what 
was  thought  might  prove  a  three  days'  absence  from 
camp  :  the  hobnails  of  their  walking  -  boots,  worn 
smooth  by  friction,  were  replaced  by  a  fresh  set ; 
alpenstocks  were  tested  until  it  was  certain  that 


ON   THE   EDGE   OF   PARADISE   VALLEY  197 

each  of  those  to  be  taken  would  bear  the  weight  of 
the  heaviest  of  the  party ;  provisions  were  cooked 
and  packs  laid  out.  Each  was  to  carry  a  canvas-cov- 
ered blanket  sleeping-bag,  inside  of  which  would  be 
rolled  provisions  for  three  days,  a  tin  plate,  and  a 
cup.  Each  was  also  provided  with  a  sheath-knife 
and  a  supply  of  matches.  Besides  these  things  M. 
Filbert  was  to  carry  a  barometer,  a  thermometer,  a 
compass,  and  a  collecting-case.  Alaric  was  intrusted 
with  the  camera  and  two  dozen  plates.  Bonny's  ex- 
tras were  a  hatchet  and  a  fifty-foot  coil  of  stout  rope  ; 
while  the  Indian  was  to  carry  an  ice-axe  and  pack  a 
burden  of  fire-wood. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when,  fortified  by  a  hearty  lunch, 
they  left  their  home-like  camp,  and,  facing  resolutely 
upward,  began  a  tedious  climb  over  the  limitless  ex- 
panse of  snow  that  they  struck  within  the  first  hun- 
dred yards.  The  sky  was  overcast,  and  they  had 
hardly  started  ere  a  dense  cloud-bank  swept  down 
and  enveloped  them  in  its  chill  vapors.  An  hour 
later  they  passed  above  it,  though  the  clouds  still 
rolled  thick  below  them,  and  emerged  into  sunlight. 
Glad  as  they  were  to  see  this,  it  was  so  distressingly 
bright  that  they  were  obliged  to  protect  their  eyes 
from  its  blinding  glare  with  snow-goggles. 

Wherever  a  ledge  of  rock  projected  above  the  snow 
they  found  blooming  flowers  and  busy  insects.  Even 
butterflies  hovered  about  these  spots  of  verdure,  and 
seemed  as  much  at  home  amid  their  arctic  surround- 
ings as  in  the  warm  valleys  far  below. 

The  climb  of  that  afternoon  was  hot,  in  spite  of  the 
snow  that  crunched  beneath  their  feet,  tedious,  and 
only  mildly  exciting,  for  all  the  perils  of  the  ascent 
were  to  come  on  the  morrow. 

Shortly  before  the  sun  sank  into  the  sea  of  cloud 
that  spread  in  fleecy  undulations  beneath  them,  they 


198  RICK   DALE 

reached  the  base  of  the  Cleaver,  a  gigantic  ridge  that 
seemed  to  bar  their  further  progress.  Here,  on  a 
small  plat  of  nearly  level  ground  from  which  they 
dug  away  the  snow,  they  made  a  fire  over  which  to 
boil  water  for  a  pot  of  tea,  ate  supper,  and  prepared 
to  pass  the  night.  They  were  four  thousand  feet 
above  timber-line,  and  two  miles  higher  than  the  wa- 
ters of  Puget  Sound. 

As  soon  as  supper  was  over  the  entire  party  crawled 
into  their  sleeping-bags  for  protection  against  the  bit- 
ter cold  of  the  night,  and  for  a  while  the  two  boys, 
nestling  together,  talked  in  low  tones.  Then  Bonny 
fell  asleep ;  but  for  nearly  an  hour  Alaric  lay  awake, 
listening  to  the  awful  silence  of  that  lofty  solitude,  or 
startled  by  the  occasional  thunderous  rush  of  some 
plunging  bowlder  hurled  from  its  bed  by  the  resist- 
less leverage  of  frost. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
MOUNT  RAINIER  PLACED  UNDERFOOT 

THE  summit  of  Mount  Rainier  has  only  been  gained 
by  way  of  its  southern  slope,  the  much  steeper  and 
more  dangerous  northern  face  having  never  been 
scaled.  Even  over  the  comparatively  easy  slope  of  the 
south  side  but  one  practicable  trail  has  been  discov- 
ered, and  it  leads  by  way  of  the  Cleaver.  This  gigantic 
ridge  of  rock,  like  the  backbone  of  some  colossal 
monster,  forms  a  divide  between  the  upper  Nisqually 
and  Cowlitz  glaciers.  Its  sides  are  overlaid  with  con- 
fused masses  of  bowlders  and  treacherous  gravel, 
through  which  appear  at  intervals  sheer  cliffs  and 
bare  ledges  of  solid  rock.  The  Cleaver  leads  to  a 
mighty  mass  of  granite,  a  mountain  in  itself,  that  is 
fittingly  called  the  Gibraltar  of  Mount  Rainier.  It 
bars  a  further  passage  to  all  save  the  strongest  climbers, 
and  to  these  it  affords  the  only  means  of  access  to  the 
lofty  realms  beyond.  Here  is  the  most  perilous  part 
of  the  ascent,  and,  with  Gibraltar  once  passed,  the 
summit  is  almost  certain  of  attainment. 

It  seemed  to  our  weary  lads  that  they  had  barely 
fallen  asleep  when  they  were  wakened  by  a  rude 
shaking  and  the  voice  of  their  Siwash  guide,  exclaim- 
ing : 

"  Come,  come,  lazy  boy  !  Wake  up  !  wake  up  ! 
Mos?  sitkum  sun  (noon).  Breakfus  !  breakfus  I" 

"  'Most  noon  I"  growled  Bonny,  crawling  reluc- 
tantly from  his  sleeping-bag,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and 


200  RICK   DALE 

shivering  in  the  bitter  cold.  "  'Most  midnight,  more 
likely." 

"  Alle  same,  sitkum  sun  some  place  ;  don't  he  ?" 
queried  the  Indian^  laughing  at  his  own  joke. 

By  the  time  they  had  swallowed  a  cup  of  tepid  tea, 
and  lightened  their  packs  by  making  a  hearty  meal  of 
cold  meat  and  hard  bread,  dawn  was  breaking,  and 
there  was  light  enough  to  pick  their  way  up  the 
treacherous  slope  of  the  Cleaver.  As  they  cautiously 
advanced,  many  a  bowlder  slipped  from  beneath  their 
feet  and  bounded  with  mighty  leapings  into  the 
depths  behind  them.  Dodging  these,  sliding  in  the 
loose  gravels,  lifting  and  pulling  each  other  up  rocky 
faces  from  one  narrow  ledge  to  another,  and  ever  look- 
ing upward,  they  finally  gained  the  summit  of  the 
mighty  ridge. 

From  here  they  could  gaze  down  the  opposite  slope 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  to  the  gleaming  surface  of  the 
great  Cowlitz  glacier,  with  so  much  of  its  ruggedness 
smoothed  away  by  distance  that  it  looked  a  river  of 
milk  with  a  line  of  black  drift  in  its  centre,  flowing 
swiftly  through  a  rock-walled  canon  and  pouring 
into  a  sea  of  cloud.  On  the  far  southward  horizon 
could  be  seen  the  glistening  cone  of  Mount  Hood, 
kissed  by  earliest  sunbeams,  and  in  the  middle  distance 
the  volcanic  peaks  of  St.  Helens  and  Adams.  Near  at 
hand,  pinnacles  of  the  Tatoosh  range  were  breaking 
through  the  clouds  like  rocky  islets  in  a  billowy  sea. 
Before  them  the  rugged  backbone  of  the  Cleaver, 
stripped  of  every  particle  of  its  earthy  flesh,  stretched 
away  in  quick  ascent  to  the  frowning  mass  of  Gibraltar. 

The  Cleaver  carried  them  half-way  up  the  sombre 
face  of  this  mighty  rock,  and  from  that  point  a  nar- 
row ledge  creeping  diagonally  up  the  precipice  at  a 
steep  angle  was  the  trail  they  must  follow.  Not  only 
was  this  rocky  pathway  steep  and  narrow,  but  it 


MOUNT    RAINIER    PLACED    UNDERFOOT  201 

shelved  away  from  the  wall,  and  in  many  places  af- 
forded only  a  treacherous  foothold.  At  any  point 
along  its  length  a  slip,  a  misstep,  or  an  attack  of  dizzi- 
ness would  mean  almost  certain  destruction. 

Foot  by  foot  and  yard  by  yard  M.  Filbert's  lit- 
tle party  ascended  this  perilous  way,  here  walking, 
and  trusting  to  their  alpenstocks  for  support ;  there 
crawling  on  hands  and  knees.  Sometimes  one  would 
go  cautiously  ahead  over  a  place  of  peculiar  danger, 
with  an  end  of  the  rope  firmly  knotted  beneath  his 
arms,  while  his  companions,  with  firm  bracings,  re- 
tained the  other  part,  ready  to  haul  him  up  if  by 
chance  he  should  plunge  over  the  verge  and  dangle 
above  the  abyss  at  the  end  of  his  slender  tether. 

At  the  terminus  of  the  ledge  they  were  confronted 
by  a  sloping  wall  of  solid  ice,  in  which  they  must  cut 
steps  and  grip-holes  for  feet  and  hands.  As  they  slow- 
ly and  painfully  worked  their  way  up  this  precarious 
ladder,  they  were  continually  pelted  by  pebbles  and 
good-sized  stones  loosened  by  the  sun  from  an  upper 
cliff  of  frozen  gravel. 

At  length  the  toilsome  ascent  was  safely  accom- 
plished, and,  with  a  panting  shout  from  Alaric  and  a 
hurrah  from  Bonny,  the  whole  party  stood  on  the 
summit  of  that  mountain  Gibraltar.  Here  they  rested 
and  lunched ;  then,  full  of  eager  impatience,  pushed 
on  over  the  narrow  causeway  connecting  the  mighty 
rock  with  the  vastly  mightier  snow-cap  beyond. 

This  snow,  that  had  looked  so  faultlessly  smooth 
from  below,  was  found  to  be  drifted  and  packed  into 
high  ridges,  over  which  they  slowly  toiled,  frequently 
pausing  for  breath  and  inhaling  the  rarefied  air  with 
quick  gaspings.  At  length  a  bottomless  crevasse 
yawned  before  them,  spanned  only  by  a  narrow  ledge 
of  snow.  With  an  end  of  the  rope  knotted  beneath 
his  arms,  Bonny,  being  the  lightest,  essayed  to  cross 


202  RICK   DALE 

it.  Before  he  reached  the  farther  side  the  treacher- 
ous support  broke  beneath  him,  and,  with  a  frightened 
cry,  Alaric  saw  his  comrade  plunge  out  of  sight  in  the 
yawning  chasm.  He  brought  up  with  a  heavy  jerk  at 
the  end  of  the  rope,  and  they  cautiously  drew  him 
back  to  where  they  stood. 

As  he  reappeared  above  the  edge  of  the  opening  his 
face  was  very  pale,  but  he  called  out,  cheerfully:  "  It's 
all  right,  Rick  !  Don't  fret  I" 

After  a  long  search  they  discovered  another  bridge, 
and  it  bore  them  across  in  safety,  one  at  a  time,  but 
all  securely  roped  together.  Finally,  late  in  the  after- 
noon, the  longed-for  summit  was  attained,  and,  though 
nearly  toppled  over  by  a  furious  wind,  they  stood  tri- 
umphant on  the  rocky  rim  of  its  ancient  crater.  This 
was  half  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  filled  with  snow,  but 
its  opposite  or  northern  side  was  the  highest.  So  to 
it  they  made  their  weary  way,  following  the  rocky 
path  afforded  by  the  rim,  and  barely  able  to  hold  their 
footing  against  the  wind. 

When  they  at  last  attained  the  point  of  their  ambi- 
tion, a  reading  of  the  barometer  showed  them  to  be 
standing  at  a  height  of  14,444  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
with  exulting  hearts  they  realized  that,  as  Bonny  ex- 
pressed it,  they  had  put  the  highest  peak  of  the  Cas- 
cade range  beneath  their  feet. 

The  view  that  greeted  them  from  that  lofty  outlook 
was  so  wonderful  and  far-reaching  that  for  a  while  they 
gazed  in  awed  silence.  Mount  Baker,  two  hundred 
miles  away,  close  to  the  British  line,  was  clearly  visible, 
as  were  the  notable  peaks  to  the  southward,  even  be- 
yond the  distant  Columbia  and  over  the  Oregon  border. 

"  C'est  grand  !  c'est  magnifique!  c'est  terrible  !"  ex- 
claimed M.  Filbert,  at  length  breaking  the  silence. 

As  for  Alaric  !  To  have  achieved  that  summit  was 
the  greatest  triumph  of  his  life  ;  but  his  heart  was  too 


MOUNT  RAINIER   PLACED   UNDERFOOT  203 

full  for  utterance,  and  he  could  only  gaze  in  speech- 
less delight. 

The  Indian  too  gazed  in  silence  as,  leaning  on  his 
ice-axe,  he  contemplated  the  outspread  empire  that 
but  a  few  years  before  had  belonged  solely  to  the  peo- 
ple of  his  race. 

Bonny  was  as  deeply  impressed  as  either  of  his  com- 
panions, but  found  it  necessary  to  express  his  feelings 
in  words.  "  This  must  be  the  top  of  the  world  I"  he 
cried  ;  "  and  I  do  believe  we  can  see  it  all.  I  tell  you 
what  it  is,  Rick  Dale,  Fve  learned  something  about 
mountains  this  day,  and  now  I  know  that  they  are  the 
grandest  things  in  all  creation." 

At  their  feet  the  rock  wall  dropped  so  sheer  and 
smooth  that  no  man  might  climb  it,  and  then  came 
the  snow,  sweeping  steeply  downward  for  miles  ap- 
parently without  a  break.  Far  beyond  lay  the  vast 
sea  of  forest,  seeming  to  cover  the  whole  earth  with  its 
green  mantle.  The  gleaming  glaciers,  looking  like 
foaming  cascades  frozen  into  rigidity,  were  swallowed 
by  it  and  hidden.  It  rolled  in  billows  over  the  mighty 
mountain  flanks  that  radiated  from  where  they  stood 
like  the  spokes  of  a  colossal  wheel,  and  dipped  into 
the  intervening  valleys.  Nowhere  was  it  broken,  save 
by  the  few  bald  peaks  that  struggled  above  it  and  by 
the  thread-like  waters  of  Puget  Sound.  Even  on  the 
west  there  was  no  ocean,  for  the  volcanic,  snow-crowned 
Olympics,  one  of  which  was  smoking,  as  though  in 
eruption,  hid  it  from  view. 

Our  lads  could  have  gazed  entranced  for  hours  on 
the  crowding  marvels  outspread  before  them  had  they 
been  warmed  and  fed  and  rested  and  sheltered  from 
the  fierce  blasts  of  icy  wind  that  threatened  to  hurl 
them  from  the  parapet  on  which  they  stood.  As  it  was, 
night  was  at  hand,  they  were  faint  and  trembling 
from  weariness,  and  wellnigh  perished  with  the  sting- 


204  RICK   DALE 

ing  cold.  It  was  high  time  to  turn  from  gazing  and 
seek  shelter. 

Inside  the  crater's  rim  numerous  steam  jets  issued 
from  fissures  in  the  rocky  wall,  and  these  had  carved 
out  caverns  from  the  adjacent  ice.  Here  there  were 
roomy  chambers,  steam-heated  and  storm-proof,  await- 
ing occupancy,  and  to  one  of  these  M.  Filbert  led  the 
way. 

In  this  place  of  welcome  shelter  numbed  fingers 
were  thawed  to  further  usefulness  by  the  grateful 
steam,  a  small  fire  was  lighted,  packs  were  opened, 
and  in  less  than  an  hour  a  bountiful  supper  of  hot  tea, 
venison  frizzled  over  the  coals,  toasted  hard-bread,  and 
prunes  was  being  enjoyed  by  as  hungry  and  jubilant 
a  party  as  ever  bivouacked  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
Rainier. 

After  supper  the  Frenchman  lighted  a  cigarette, 
the  Indian  puffed,  with  an  air  of  intense  satisfaction, 
at  an  ancient  pipe,  our  lads  toasted  their  stockinged 
feet  before  the  few  remaining  embers  of  the  fire,  and, 
in  various  languages,  all  four  discussed  the  advent- 
ures of  the  day. 

Although  they  had  much  to  say,  their  conversation 
hour  was  soon  ended  by  their  weariness  and  by  the 
ever-increasing  cold,  which  even  a  jet  of  volcanic  steam 
could  not  exclude  from  that  chamber  of  ice.  So  they 
speedily  slipped  into  their  sleeping-bags,  and,  lying 
close  together  for  greater  warmth,  prepared  to  spend  a 
night  under  the  very  strangest  conditions  that  Alaric 
and  Bonny,  at  least,  had  ever  encountered. 

Some  hours  later  the  occupants  of  the  ice-cave  be- 
came conscious  of  the  howlings  of  a  storm  that  shrieked 
and  roared  above  their  heads  with  the  fury  of  ten 
thousand  demons ;  but,  knowing  that  it  could  not  pene- 
trate their  retreat,  they  gave  it  but  slight  heed,  and 
quickly  dropped  again  into  the  sleep  of  weariness. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
BLOWN   FROM   THE    RIM   OF   A   CRATER 

WHEN  onr  lads  next  awoke  they  were  oppressed 
with  a  sense  of  suffocation  and  uncomfortable  warmth. 
It  was  still  dark,  and  M.  Filbert  was  striking  a  match 
in  order  to  look  at  his  watch. 

"  Seven  o'clock  I"  he  cried,  incredulously.  "How 
can  it  be  ?" 

' '  Cole  snass  !"  (snow)  exclaimed  the  Indian,  to  whom 
the  flare  of  light  had  instantly  disclosed  the  cause  of 
both  darkness  and  suffocation.  The  cave  was  much 
smaller  than  when  they  entered  it,  and  was  also  full 
of  steam.  Its  walls  were  covered  with  moisture,  and 
rivulets  of  water  trickled  over  the  floor. 

"  Cultus  snow  !  Heap  plenty  !  Too  much  !  Ma- 
moo k  ilahie"  (must  dig),  continued  the  Indian,  spring- 
ing to  his  feet,  and  making  an  attack  on  the  drifted 
snow  that  had  completely  choked  the  cavern's  mouth. 
When  he  had  excavated  a  burrow  the  length  of 
his  body,  Bonny  took  his  place,  while  Alaric  and 
M.  Filbert  removed  the  loosened  snow  to  the  back 
of  the  cave,  where  they  packed  it  as  closely  as  pos- 
sible. 

Although  a  faint  light  soon  appeared  in  the  tunnel, 
it  was  a  full  hour  before  it  was  dug  to  the  surface  of 
the  tremendous  drift  and  a  rush  of  cold  air  was  ad- 
mitted. 

A  glance  outside  showed  that,  while  no  snow  was 
falling  at  that  moment,  the  day  was  dark  and  gloomy, 


206  KICK   DALE 

and  the  mountain  was  enveloped  in  clouds  that  were 
driven  in  swirling  eddies  by  fierce  gusts  of  wind. 

In  spite  of  the  threatening  weather,  M.  Filbert  de- 
clared that  they  must  begin  their  retreat  at  once,  as 
they  had  but  one  day's  supply  of  food  left,  while  the 
storm  might  burst  upon  them  again  at  any  minute 
and  continue  indefinitely.  So,  after  a  hasty  meal  of 
biscuits  and  cold  meat,  the  little  party  sallied  forth. 
The  Indian,  having  no  longer  a  burden  of  fire-wood, 
relieved  Alaric  of  his  camera,  and  led  the  way.  M. 
Filbert  followed,  then  .came  Alaric ;  while  Bonny, 
with  a  coil  of  rope  hung  over  his  shoulder,  brought 
up  the  rear. 

Oh,  how  cold  it  was  !  and  how  awful !  To  be  sure, 
the  dangers  surrounding  them  were  hidden  by  impene- 
trable clouds,  but  they  had  already  seen  them,  and 
knew  of  their  presence.  As  they  started  to  traverse 
the  rocky  crater  rim  that  still  rose  slightly  above  the 
snow,  the  entire  summit  was  visible;  but  a  few  min- 
utes later  a  furious  gust  of  wind  again  shrouded  it  in 
clouds  so  dense  as  to  completely  hide  objects  only  a 
few  feet  away. 

Just  then  Alaric  tripped  on  one  of  his  boot-lacings 
that  had  become  unfastened,  and  very  nearly  fell. 
That  was  no  place  for  tripping,  and  such  a  thing 
must  not  happen  again.  So  he  paused  to  secure  the 
loosened  lacing,  and,  as  he  stooped  over  it,  Bonny 
cried  impatiently  from  behind  : 

"  Hurry  up,  Rick  !  the  others  are  already  out  of 
sight,  and  it  will  never  do  to  lose  them  in  this  fog." 

The  necessity  for  haste  only  caused  the  lad's 
numbed  fingers  to  fumble  the  more  awkwardly,  and 
several  precious  minutes  were  thus  wasted. 

"With  the  task  completed,  Alaric,  full  of  nervous 
dread,  started  to  run  after  his  vanished  companions, 
slipped  on  a  bit  of  glare  ice  at  a  place  where  the  nar- 


BLOWN   FROM  THE   HIM   OF  A   CRATEE  207 

row  path  slanted  down  and  out,  and  pitched  head- 
long. Bonny  saw  his  danger,  sprang  to  his  assistance, 
slipped  on  the  same  treacherous  ice,  and  in  another 
moment  both  lads  had  plunged  over  the  outer  verge 
of  the  sheer  wall.  There  was  a  stifled  cry,  drowned 
by  the  roaring  blast,  and  then,  without  leaving  a  trace 
behind  them,  they  were  lost  to  sight  in  the  crowding 
mists.  So  complete  was  their  disappearance  that 
when,  one  minute  later,  M.  Filbert  and  the  Indian 
passed  back  over  that  very  place  in  anxious  search 
of  their  young  companions,  they  could  neither  see 
nor  hear  aught  to  tell  them  of  what  had  happened. 

Neither  Alaric  nor  Bonny  could  ever  afterwards 
tell  whether  they  fell  twenty  feet  or  two  hundred  in 
that  terrible,  breathless  plunge.  Almost  with  the  first 
knowledge  of  their  situation  they  found  themselves 
struggling  in  a  drift  of  soft,  fresh-fallen  snow,  and  a 
moment  afterwards  rolling,  bounding,  and  shooting 
with  frightful  velocity  down  an  icy,  roof -like  slope  of 
interminable  length.  Breathless,  battered,  bruised, 
expecting  with  each  instant  to  be  dashed  over  some 
awful  brink,  as  ignorant  of  their  surroundings  as 
though  stricken  with  blindness,  the  poor  lads  still 
tried,  with  outstretched  arms  and  clutching  fingers, 
to  check  their  wild  flight. 

While  they  realized  in  a  measure  the  desperate  nat- 
ure of  the  situation,  its  worst  features  were  mercifully 
concealed  from  them  by  the  clinging  clouds.  Had 
these  lifted  ever  so  little,  they  would  have  seen  that 
their  perilous  coast  was  down  a  ridge  so  narrow  that 
the  alpenstocks  flung  from  them  as  they  plunged  over 
the  rim  of  the  crater  had  fallen  on  either  side  into 
yawning  chasms. 

At  length,  after  what  seemed  an  eternity  of  this  ter- 
rible experience,  though  in  reality  it  lasted  but  a  few 
minutes,  they  were  flung  into  a  narrow,  snow -filled 


208  RICK  DALE 

valley  that  cut  their  course  at  a  sharp  angle,  and  found 
themselves  lying  within  a  few  feet  of  each  other,  dazed 
and  sorely  bruised,  but  apparently  with  unbroken 
bones,  and  certainly  still  alive. 

As  they  slowly  gained  a  sitting  posture  and  gazed 
curiously  at  each  other,  Bonny  said,  impressively : 

"Kick  Dale,  before  we  go  any  farther,  I  want  to 
take  back  all  I  ever  said  about  the  life  of  a  sailor  being 
exciting,  for  it  isn't  a  circumstance  to  that  of  an  in- 
terpreter." 

"  Oh,  Bonny,  it  is  so  good  to  hear  your  voice  again  ! 
Wasn't  it  awful  ?  And  how  do  you  suppose  we  can 
ever  get  back  ?" 

"Get  back!"  cried  the  other.  "Well,  if  we  had 
wings  we  might  fly  back  ;  but  there's  no  other  way  that 
I  know  of.  We  must  be  a  mile  from  our  starting-point, 
and  even  to  reach  the  foot  of  the  place  where  we  dove 
off  we'd  have  to  cut  steps  in  the  ice  every  inch  of  the 
way.  That  would  probably  take  a  couple  of  days,  and 
when  we  got  there  we'd  have  to  turn  around  and  come 
down  again,  for  nothing  except  a  bird  could  ever  scale 
that  wall." 

"  Then  what  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  Keep  on  as  we  have  begun,  I  suppose,  only  a  little 
slower,  I  hope,  until  we  reach  the  timber-line,  and  then 
try  and  follow  it  to  camp." 

"  I  wonder  if  we  can  ?" 

"  Of  course  we  can,  for  we've  got  to." 

Painfully  the  lads  gained  their  feet,  and  with  cau- 
tious steps  began  to  explore  their  surroundings.  They 
walked  side  by  side  for  a  few  yards,  and  then  each 
clutched  the  other  as  though  to  draw  him  back.  They 
were  on  the  brink  of  a  precipice,  over  which  another 
step  would  have  carried  them. 

While  they  hesitated,  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn 
nor  what  to  do,  the  clouds  below  them  rolled  away, 


BLOWN   FROM  THE   RIM   OF  A   CRATER  309 

though  above  and  back  of  them  they  remained  as  dense 
as  ever,  and  a  view  of  what  lay  before  them  was  un- 
folded. 

Rocks,  ice,  and  snow ;  sheer  walls  rising  on  either 
side  of  them,  and  a  precipitous  slope  forming  an 
almost  vertical  descent  of  a  thousand  feet  in  front. 
There  were  but  three  things  to  do :  Go  back  the  way 
they  had  come,  which  was  so  wellnigh  impossible  that 
they  did  not  give  it  a  second  thought ;  remain  where 
they  were,  which  meant  a  certain  and  speedy  death ; 
or  make  their  way  down  that  rocky  wall.  They  crept 
to  its  brink  and  looked  over,  anxiously  scanning  its 
every  feature  and  calculating  their  chances.  The  first 
thirty  feet  were  sheer  and  smooth.  Then  came  a  nar- 
row shelf,  below  which  they  could  see  others  at  irreg- 
ular intervals. 

"There  is  only  one  way  to  do  it,"  said  Bonny,  "and 
that  is  by  the  rope.  I  will  go  first,  and  you  must  fol- 
low/' 

"  I'll  try,"  replied  Alaric,  with  a  very  pale  face  but 
a  brave  voice. 

So  Bonny,  with  the  knowledge  of  knots  that  he  had 
learned  on  shipboard,  made  a  noose  that  would  not 
slip  in  one  end  of  their  rope,  tied  half  a  dozen  knots 
along  its  length  for  hand-holds,  and  fastened  its  other 
end  about  his  body.  Then  he  looped  the  noose  over 
a  jutting  point  of  rock,  and,  slipping  cautiously  over 
the  brink,  allowed  himself  to  slide  slowly  down. 

It  made  Alaric  so  giddy  to  watch  him  that  he  closed 
his  eyes,  nor  did  he  open  them  until  a  cheery  "All 
right,  Rick  I"  assured  him  of  his  comrade's  safety. 
Now  came  his  turn,  and  as  he  hung  by  that  slender 
cord  he  was  devoutly  thankful  for  the  strength  that 
the  past  few  weeks  had  put  into  his  arms.  He  too 
reached  the  ledge  in  safety,  and  then,  with  great  diffi- 
culty, on  account  of  the  narrowness  of  their  foothold, 


210  RICK   DALE 

they  managed  to  slip  the  noose  off  its  resting-place. 
Now  they  must  go  forward,  for  there  was  no  longer  a 
chance  of  going  back.  In  vain,  though,  did  they  search 
that  smooth  ledge  for  a  point  that  would  hold  their 
noose.  There  was  none,  and  the  next  shelf  was  twenty 
feet  below. 

"  We  must  climb  it,  Rick,  and  this  time  you  must 
go  first.  Put  the  loop  under  your  arms,  and  I  will  do 
my  best  to  hold  you  if  you  slip ;  but  don't  take  any 
chances,  or  count  too  much  on  me  being  able  to  do 
it." 

There  were  little  cracks  and  slight  projections.  Bon- 
ny held  the  rope  reassuringly  taut,  and  at  length  the 
feat  was  accomplished.  Then  Alaric  took  in  the  slack 
of  the  rope  as  Bonny,  tied  to  its  other  end,  made  the 
same  perilous  descent. 

So,  with  strained  arms,  aching  legs,  and  fingers 
worn  to  the  quick  from  clutching  the  rough  granite, 
they  made  their  slow  way  from  ledge  to  ledge,  gaining 
courage  and  coolness  as  they  successfully  overcame 
each  difficulty,  until  they  estimated  that  they  had 
descended  fully  five  hundred  feet.  Now  came  another 
smooth  face  absolutely  without  a  crevice  that  they 
could  discover,  and  the  next  ledge  below  was  farther 
away  than  the  length  of  their  dangling  rope.  There 
was,  however,  a  projection  where  they  stood,  over 
which  they  could  loop  the  noose. 

"We've  got  to  do  it,"  said  Bonny,  stoutly,  "and  I 
only  hope  the  drop  at  the  end  isn't  so  long  as  it  looks. " 
Thus  saying,  he  slipped  cautiously  over  the  edge,  let 
himself  down  to  the  end  of  the  rope,  dropped  ten  feet, 
staggered,  and  seemed  about  to  fall,  but  saved  himself 
by  a  violent  effort.  Alaric  followed,  and  also  made  the 
drop,  but  whirled  half  round  in  so  doing,  and  but  for 
Bonny's  quick  clutch  would  have  gone  over  the  edge. 

There  was  now  no  way  of  recovering  their  useful 


BLOWN   FROM  THE   RIM   OF  A   CRATER  211 

rope ;  and  fortunately,  though  they  sorely  needed  it 
at  times,  they  found  no  other  place  absolutely  impos- 
sible without  it.  By  noon,  when  they  paused  for  rest 
and  a  scanty  lunch  of  chocolate  and  prunes,  they  were 
down  one  thousand  feet,  and  believed  the  worst  of  the 
descent  to  be  accomplished. 

Now  came  a  rude  granite  stairway  with  steps  fit  for 
a  giant,  and  then  a  long  slope  of  loose  bowlders,  that 
rocked  and  rolled  from  beneath  their  feet  as  they 
sprang  from  one  to  another.  They  crossed  the  rugged 
ice  of  a  glacier,  whose  innumerable  crevasses  inter- 
sected like  the  wrinkles  on  an  old  man's  face,  and  had 
many  hair -breadth  escapes  from  slipping  into  their 
deadly  depths  of  frozen  blue.  Then  came  a  vast 
snow-field,  over  which  they  tramped  for  miles  with 
weary  limbs  but  light  hearts,  for  the  terrors  of  the 
mountain  were  behind  them  and  the  timber-line  was 
in  sight.  Darkness  had  already  overtaken  them  when 
they  came  to  a  steep,  rock-strewn  slope,  down  which 
they  ran  with  reckless  speed.  They  were  near  its 
bottom  when  a  bowlder  on  which  Bonny  had  just 
leaped  rolled  from  under  him,  and  he  fell  heavily  on 
a  bed  of  jagged  rocks. 

As  he  did  not  regain  his  feet,  Alaric  sprang  to  his 
Bide.  The  poor  lad  who  had  so  stoutly  braved  the 
countless  perils  of  the  day  was  moaning  pitifully,  and 
as  his  friend  bent  anxiously  over  him  he  said,  in  a 
feeble  voice: 

"  Fm  afraid,  old  man,  that  Fm  done  for  at  last,  for 
it  feels  as  though  every  bone  in  my  body  was  broken." 


CHAPTER   XXXI 
A   DESPERATE  SITUATION 

OF  the  many  trying  experiences  through  which  onr 
lads  had  passed  since  their  introduction  to  each  other 
in  Victoria,  none  had  presented  so  many  hopeless  feat- 
ures as  the  present.  They  were  high  up  on  a  mighty 
mountain,  whose  terrible  wilderness  of  rock  and  glacier, 
precipice  and  chasm,  limitless  .snow-field  and  trackless 
forest,  stretched  for  weary  leagues  in  every  direction  ; 
beyond  hope  of  human  aid  ;  only  a  mouthful  of  food 
between  them  and  starvation ;  with  night  so  close  at 
hand  that  near-by  objects  were  already  indistinct  in 
its  gathering  gloom  ;  without  shelter ;  inexperienced 
in  woodcraft ;  and  one  of  them  so  seriously  injured 
that  he  lay  moaning  on  the  cruel  rocks  that  had 
wounded  him,  apparently  incapable  of  moving. 

As  all  these  details  of  the  situation  flashed  into 
Alaric's  mind  he  became  for  a  moment  heart-sick  and 
despairing  at  its  utter  hopelessness.  He  was  so  ex- 
hausted with  the  exertions  of  the  day,  so  unnerved  by 
the  strain  and  anxiety  of  the  perilous  hours  just 
passed,  and  so  faint  for  want  of  nourishment,  that  it 
is  no  wonder  his  strength  was  turned  into  weakness, 
or  that  he  could  discover  no  ray  of  hope  through  the 
all-pervading  gloom. 

Suddenly  and  as  clearly  as  though  spoken  by  his 
side  came  the  words  :  "  Always  remember  that,  as 
my  friend  Jalap  Coombs  says,  '  It  is  never  so  dark  but 
what  there  is  light  somewhere."  The  memory  of 


A   DESPERATE   SITUATION  213 

Phil  Byder's  brave  face  as  he  uttered  that  sentence 
came  to  our  poor  lad  like  a  tonic,  and  instantly  he 
was  resolved  to  find  the  light  that  was  shining  for  him 
somewhere. 

With  such  marvellous  quickness  does  the  mind  act 
in  an  emergency  that  all  these  thoughts  came  to 
Alaric  even  as  he  bent  anxiously  over  his  injured 
friend  and  began  examining  tenderly  into  the  nature 
of  his  hurts.  As  he  lifted  the  left  arm  the  sufferer 
uttered  a  cry  of  pain,  and  its  hand  hung  limp.  The 
other  limbs  were  sound,  but  Bonny  said  that  every 
breath  was  like  a  stab. 

"One  arm  broken,  and  Fm  afraid  something  gone 
wrong  inside,"  announced  Alaric  at  length ;  "but  it 
might  be  ever  so  much  worse,"  he  continued,  in  as 
cheerful  a  tone  as  he  could  command.  "One  of 
your  legs  might  have  been  broken,  you  know,  and 
then  we  should  be  in  a  fix,  for  I  couldn't  carry  you, 
and  we  should  have  to  stay  right  here.  Now,  though, 
I  am  sure  you  can  walk  as  far  as  the  timber  if  you 
will  only  try.  Of  course  it  will  hurt  terribly,  but  you 
must  do  it,  for  there  is  no  other  way." 

Very  slowly,  and  with  many  a  stifled  cry  of  acute 
pain,  Bonny  gained  his  feet.  Then,  with  his  right 
arm  about  Alaric's  neck,  and  with  the  latter  stoutly 
supporting  him,  the  injured  lad  managed  to  cross  the 
few  hundred  feet  intervening  between  that  place  and 
the  longed-for  shelter  of  the  stunted  hemlocks  form- 
ing the  timber-line. 

Both  Bonny's  weakness  and  the  darkness,  which  was 
now  that  of  night,  prevented  their  penetrating  deep 
into  the  timber ;  but  before  the  sufferer  sank  to  the 
ground,  declaring  that  he  could  not  take  another 
step,  they  had  gone  far  enough  to  escape  the  icy  blast 
that,  sweeping  down  from  the  upper  snow-fields,  had 
chilled  them  to  the  marrow.  This  alone  was  a  nota- 


214  KICK  DALE 

ble  achievement,  and  already  Alaric  believed  he  could 
perceive  a  glimmer  of  the  light  he  had  set  out  to  find. 

Now  for  a  fire,  and  how  grateful  they  were  for  M. 
Filbert's  forethought  that'  had  provided  each  one  of 
his  party  with  matches !  Feeling  about  for  twigs, 
and  whittling  a  few  shavings  with  his  sheath  -  knife, 
Alaric  quickly  started  a  tiny  flame,  and  with  its  first 
cheery  glow  their  situation  seemed  robbed  of  half  its 
terrors.  An  armful  of  sticks  produced  a  brave  crack- 
ling blaze  that  drove  the  black  forest  shadows  to  a 
respectful  distance. 

With  Benny's  hatchet  Alaric  next  lopped  off  the 
branches  from  the  lower  side  of  a  thick-growing  hem- 
lock and  wove  them  among  those  that  were  left,  so  as 
.  to  form  a  wind-break.  An  armful  of  the  same  flat 
boughs,  cut  from  other  trees  and  strewn  on  the 
ground,  formed  a  spring  bed  on  which  to  unfold  the 
sleeping-bags,  that  by  rare  good  fortune  had  remained 
strapped  to  the  lads'  shoulders  during  all  their  terrible 
journey  from  the  summit  camp  of  the  night  before. 

After  making  his  comrade  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible, Alaric  hurried  away  into  the  darkness.  He  was 
gone  so  long  that  Bonny,  who  did  not  know  the  rea- 
son of  his  absence,  began  to  grow  very  uneasy  before 
he  returned.  When  he  did  reappear,  he  brought  with 
him  a  quantity  of  snow  that  he  had  gone  back  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  up  the  dark  mountain-side  to  obtain. 
He  wanted  water,  and  not  hearing  or  finding  any 
stream,  had  bethought  himself  of  snow  as  a  substi- 
tute. 

In  each  of  the  packs  they  had  so  fortunately 
brought  with  them  was  a  handful  of  tea,  for  M. 
Filbert  had  insisted  that  all  the  provisions  should  be 
divided  among  all  the  packs,  as  a  precaution  against 
just  such  an  emergency  as  had  arisen.  Therefore, 
Alaric  now  had  the  materials  for  a  longed-for  and 


A  DESPERATE  SITUATION  215 

much-needed  cup  of  the  stimulating  beverage.  To 
make  it,  an  amount  of  the  precious  leaves  equal  to  a 
teaspoonful  was  put  into  one  of  their  tin  cups  while 
snow  was  melted  in  the  other.  As  soon  as  this  came 
to  a  boil  it  was  poured  over  the  tea  leaves  in  cup 
number  one,  which  was  allowed  to  stand  for  two  min- 
utes longer  in  a  warm  place  to  "draw." 

While  Bonny  slowly  sipped  this,  at  the  same  time 
munching  a  handful  of  hard  biscuit,  which,  broken 
into  small  bits,  was  all  the  food  they  had  left,  Alaric 
boiled  another  cup  of  water  for  himself. 

From  all  this  it  will  be  seen  that  our  one-time  help- 
less and  dependent  "  Allie  "  Todd  was  rapidly  learn- 
ing not  only  to  care  for  himself  under  trying  condi- 
tions, but  for  others  as  well. 

As  soon  as  Bonny  had  been  thus  strengthened  and 
thoroughly  warmed,  Alaric  made  a  more  thorough 
examination  of  his  injuries  than  had  been  possible  out 
in  the  cold  and  darkness  where  the  accident  occurred. 
He  found  that  the  left  arm  had  sustained  a  simple 
fracture,  fortunately  but  little  splintered,  and  also 
that  two  ribs  on  the  left  side  were  broken.  For  these 
he  could  do  nothing  ;  but  he  managed  to  set  the 
broken  arm  after  a  fashion,  bandage  it  with  handker- 
chiefs torn  into  strips,  and  finally  to  place  it  in  a  case 
formed  of  a  trough-like  section  of  hemlock-bark, 
which  he  hung  from  Benny's  neck  by  straps.  Then 
he  helped  his  patient  into  one  of  the  sleeping-bags, 
encouraging  him  all  the  while  with  hopeful  sug- 
gestions of  what  they  would  do  on  the  morrow. 

After  thus  making  his  charge  as  comfortable  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit,  the  lad  busied  himself  for 
another  hour  in  collecting  such  a  quantity  of  wood  as 
should  insure  a  good  fire  until  morning.  Then,  ut- 
terly fagged  out,  he  crept  into  his  own  bed,  and  lay 
down  beside  his  friend. 


216  HICK   DALE 

Despite  the  painful  nature  of  his  injuries,  Bonny 
had  already  fallen  asleep,  but  Alaric  lay  awake 
from  sheer  weariness,  and  struggled  against  gloomy 
thoughts  of  their  future.  He  knew  that  the  home- 
like camp  in  which  they  had  passed  two  weeks  so  hap- 
pily, and  which  they  had  hoped  to  regain  by  follow- 
ing the  timber-line,  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
mountain,  many  weary  miles  away.  He  knew  also 
that  between  them  and  it  lay  a  region  so  rugged  as 
to  be  wellnigh  impassable  to  the  sturdiest  of  moun- 
taineers, and  absolutely  so  to  one  in  Bonny's  condition. 
It  would  be  a  journey  of  two  or  more  days  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances  ;  but  alone  and  without 
food  he  realized  that  even  he  could  not  accomplish  it. 
Besides,  he  could  not  leave  Bonny  in  his  present  help- 
less condition.  Therefore,  all  thoughts  of  obtaining 
assistance  from  that  direction  must  be  abandoned. 
Could  they  continue  on  down  the  mountain  through 
the  trackless  forest  that  on  the  upward  journey  they 
had  occupied  two  whole  days  in  traversing  on  horse- 
back, and  with  a  clearly  denned  trail  ?  Certainly 
they  could  not,  and  to  make  the  attempt  would  be 
worse  than  folly.  What,  then,  could  they  do  ?  This 
question  was  so  unanswerable  that  the  perplexed  lad 
gave  over  struggling  with  it  and  fell  asleep. 

He  intended  to  replenish  his  fire  several  times  during 
the  night ;  but  when  he  next  awoke  daylight  was  al- 
ready some  hours  old,  the  place  where  the  fire  had 
burned  was  covered  with  dead  ashes,  and  Bonny  lay 
patiently  regarding  him  with  wistful  eyes. 

"  I  am  thirsty,  Kick/7  was  all  he  said,  though  he  had 
lain  for  hours  wide-awake  and  parched  with  fever,  but 
heroically  determined  that  his  wearied  comrade  should 
sleep  until  he  woke  of  his  own  accord. 

"  You  poor  fellow  !"  cried  Alaric,  remorsefully. 
"  Why  didn't  you  wake  me  long  ago  ?" 


A   DESPERATE   SITUATION  217 

"I  couldn't  bear  to,"  replied  Bonny;  "but  now  if 
you  will  please  get  me  a  drink." 

Only  pausing  to  light  a  fresh  fire,  Alaric  hastened 
away  to  the  distant  snow-bank,  returning  as  speedily 
as  possible  with  as  much  of  it  as  their  two  tin  plates 
would  hold.  A  handful  was  given  Bonny  to  cool  his 
parched  tongue  while  the  remainder  was  melting. 

So  small  a  quantity  of  water  could  be  procured  at  a 
time  by  this  slow  process  that  in  a  very  few  minutes 
Alaric  found  he  must  go  for  more  snow.  As  he  went 
he  realized  how  faint  he  was  for  want  of  food.  s(  I 
wonder  how  much  longer  I  shall  be  able  to  hold  out  ?" 
he  asked  himself.  "  How  many  more  times  can  I  make 
this  trip  before  my  strength  is  exhausted  ?"  A  mental 
picture  of  Bonny  begging  for  water,  and  he  too  weak 
to  fetch  it,  caused  his  eyes  to  fill  with  tears,  and  a 
black  despair  again  enfolded  him. 

At  this  moment  the  voice  of  the  previous  night 
came  again  to  him:  et  It  is  never  so  dark  but  what 
there  is  light  somewhere."  "  Of  course  there  is,"  he 
cried,  "  and  as  I  found  it  last  night,  why  shouldn't  I 
to-day  ?" 

Even  as  the  lad  spoke  he  caught  its  first  gleam  in 
the  form  of  a  rivulet  of  clear  water  that  rippled  mer- 
rily down  from  the  snow  only  a  few  yards  from  where 
he  stood.  Hastening  to  this,  the  lad  drank  long  and 
deeply.  On  lifting  his  head  from  the  delicious  water, 
he  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes  as  they  rested  on  a 
solitary  bird,  that  he  knew  to  be  a  ptarmigan,  crouch- 
ing beside  a  bowlder.  Hoping  against  hope,  and  almost 
unnerved  by  anxiety,  he  flung  a  stone,  and  in  another 
minute  the  bird  was  his.  "  Hurrah  for  breakfast !" 
he  shouted,  as  he  ran  back  to  Bonny  with  his  trophy 
proudly  displayed  at  arm's-length. 

Awkward  as  Alaric  was  at  the  business,  he  had  that 
Heaven-sent  bird  stripped  of  its  feathers,  cleaned,  and 


218  HICK   DALE 

spitted  over  a  bed  of  glowing  coals  within  ten  minutes 
of  the  time  he  had  first  spied'  it,  and  a  little  later 
only  its  cleanly  picked  bones  remained  to  tell  of  its 
existence. 

Bonny  was  disinclined  to  eat,  but  he  drank  two 
cups  of  hot  tea,  that  threw  him  into  a  perspiration, 
greatly  to  Alaric's  satisfaction.  As  he  also  seemed 
drowsy,  Alaric  encouraged  him  to  sleep,  while  he 
should  go  in  search  of  more  food  and  assistance,  with 
one  or  both  of  which  he  promised  to  return  before 
noon. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
HOW   A    SONG    SAVED    ALARIC'S   LIFE 

Alaric  made  that  promise  he  had  no  more 
idea  of  how  it  was  to  be  kept  than  he  had  of  what  was 
to  become  of  Bonny  and  himself.  He  only  knew  that 
active  exertion  of  some  kind  was  necessary  to  keep 
him  from  utter  despair.  Besides,  it  was  just  possi- 
ble that  he  might  discover  and  secure  another  bird, 
though  not  at  all  probable,  as  the  one  on  which  he 
had  breakfasted  was  the  first  that  he  had  encountered 
since  coming  to  the  mountain. 

By  the  time  he  emerged  from  the  timber  the  morning 
clouds  had  rolled  away,  the  sun  was  shining  brightly, 
and  the  whole  vast  sweep  of  gleaming  snow  and  tu- 
multuous rock,  from  timber-line  to  distant  summit,  lay 
piled  in  steep  ascent  before  him.  It  was  a  wonderful 
sight,  but  as  terrible  as  it  was  grand,  for  in  all  its 
awful  solitude  there  was  no  movement,  no  voice,  and 
no  sign  of  life.  Oppressed  by  the  loneliness  of  his 
surroundings,  and  having  no  reason  for  choosing  one 
direction  rather  than  another,  the  lad  mechanically 
turned  to  the  right  and  began  to  make  his  way  along 
a  bowlder-strewn  slope,  where  every  now  and  then  he 
came  to  the  bleached  skeletons  of  stunted  trees,  win- 
ter-killed, but  still  standing,  and  seeming  to  stretch 
imploring  arms  to  their  retreating  brethren  of  the 
forest. 

He  had  not  gone  more  than  a  mile  when  there  came 
something  to  him  that  caused  him  to  halt  and  glance 


220  RICK    DALE 

inquiringly  on  all  sides.  At  the  same  time  he  lifted 
his  head  and  sniffed  the  air  eagerly,  like  a  hound  on 
the  scent  of  game.  He  was  certain  that  he  had  smelled 
smoke.  Yes,  there  it  came  again ;  a  whiff  so  faint  as 
to  be  almost  imperceptible,  but  the  unmistakable  odor 
of  burning  wood. 

Facing  squarely  the  breeze  that  brought  it  to  him, 
the  lad  pushed  forward,  and  a  few  minutes  later  stood 
on  the  verge  of  a  little  mountain  meadow,  sun-warmed 
and  rock-walled  on  all  sides,  save  the  one  by  which  he 
had  approached.  Here  the  slope  was  so  gentle  that 
he  started  down  on  a  run.  He  had  thus  gone  but  a 
short  distance  when  he  suddenly  paused  with  his 
eyes  fixed  on  the  ground  where  he  was  standing. 

He  had  been  unconsciously  following  a  path,  faintly 
marked  and  hardly  to  be  distinguished,  but  neverthe- 
less one  that  he  felt  certain  had  been  trodden  by  hu- 
man feet.  The  discovery  filled  him  with  excitement, 
and  he  bounded  forward  with  redoubled  speed.  Half- 
way down  the  slope,  at  a  point  commanding  a  lovely 
view  of  the  flower-strewn  valley,  the  trail  ended  at  a 
crystal  spring  that  bubbled  from  among  the  roots  of  a 
tall  young  hemlock.  Other  trees  were  grouped  near- 
by, and  beneath  them  stood  a  rude  hut  built  of  poles 
and  boughs,  but  having  a  rain-proof  roof  of  thatch. 
Before  it  smouldered  a  log  fire,  from  which  rose  the 
thin  column  of  smoke  that  had  directed  Alaric's  at- 
tention to  the  place. 

Filled  with  exultation  and  wild  with  joy  over  his  dis- 
covery, the  lad  gazed  eagerly  about  for  some  sign  of  the 
proprietor  or  occupants  of  this  lonely  camp,  and  at 
length,  seeing  no  one,  he  began  to  shout.  Keceiving 
no  response,  he  entered  the  hut,  and  was  surprised  at 
the  absence  of  even  the  rude  comforts  common  to  such 
a  place.  There  was  a-  heap  of  white  goat-skins  in  one 
oorner,  and  a  quantity  of  meat,  either  smoked  or  dried, 


HOW   A   SONG   SAVED   ALARIC'S   LIFE  221 

hung  from  a  rafter  overhead.  A  kettle  and  a  fry-pan 
lay  outside  near  the  fire,  an  axe  was  driven  into  the 
trunk  of  one  of  the  trees,  and,  so  far  as  Alaric  could 
see,  there  was  nothing  else.  But  even  these  things 
were  enough  to  indicate  that  this  was  a  place  of  at 
least  temporary  human  abode,  and  wherever  its  pro- 
prietor might  be,  he  would  return  to  it  sooner  or  later. 
Then,  too,  Alaric  believed  it  to  be  the  camp  of  a  white 
man ;  for  though  his  knowledge  of  Indians  was  limit- 
ed, it  in  no  way  resembled  that  of  Skookum  John. 

"At  any  rate,"  he  said  to  himself,  "I  will  try  and 
get  Bonny  here  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  he  will  be  a 
thousand  times  better  off  in  this  place  than  where  I 
left  him." 

So,  with  a  lighter  heart  than  he  had  known  since  his 
comrade's  accident,  Alaric  started  back  over  the  trail 
by  which  he  had  come.  .  Bonny  was  awake  and  sitting 
up  when  he  reappeared,  and  the  sufferer's  face  bright- 
ened wonderfully  at  the  great  news  of  at  least  one  oth- 
er human  being,  a  camp,  and  an  abundance  of  food  so 
near  at  hand. 

"  Do  you  really  think  I  can  get  there,  though  ?"  he 
asked,  anxiously. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Alaric, ' '  I  know  you  can  ;  for,  as  you 
said  yesterday  when  we  were  looking  at  that  preci- 
pice, it  is  something  that  must  be  done.  We  can't 
stay  here  without  either  food  or  shelter,  and  we  don't 
dare  wait  for  the  owner  of  that  camp  to  come  back 
and  help  us  move,  because  he  may  stay  away  several 
days.  I  know  it  is  going  to  hurt  you  awfully  to  walk, 
but  I  know  too  that  you'll  do  it  if  you  only  make  up 
your  mind  to." 

"  All  right,  I'll  try  it ;  but,  Eick,  don't  you  forget 
that  if  I  ever  get  down  from  this  mountain  alive,  nev- 
er again  will  I  climb  another.  No,  sir.  Level  ground 
will  be  good  enough  for  me  after  this." 


222  RICK   DALE 

As  Alaric  was  doing  up  the  sleeping-bags  a  familiar- 
looking  baseball  rolled  from  his,  and  caught  Bonny's 
eye. 

"  If  you  aren't  a  queer  chap  I"  he  exclaimed.  "  What- 
ever made  you  bring  that  ball  along  ?" 

' '  Because,"  answered  the  other,  "  it  means  so  much 
to  me  that  I  hated  to  leave  it  behind,  and  then  I  thought 
perhaps  it  would  be  fun  to  have  a  game  on  the  very  top 
of  the  mountain.  When  we  reached  there,  though,  I 
forgot  all  about  it/' 

"  Yes,"  said  Bonny,  grimly,  i '  we  did  have  something 
else  to  think  of.  Ough,  but  that  hurts  I" 

This  exclamation  was  called  forth  by  the  poor  lad's 
effort  to  gain  his  feet,  which  he  found  he  was  unable 
to  do  without  assistance. 

Although  Alaric  carried  both  packs,  and  lent  Bonny 
all  possible  support  besides,  that  one-mile  walk  proved 
the  most  difficult  either  of  the  lads  had  ever  undertak- 
en. Brave  and  stout-hearted  as  Bonny  was,  he  could  not 
help  groaning  with  every  step,  and  they  were  obliged 
to  rest  so  often  that  the  little  journey  occupied  several 
hours.  At  its  end  both  lads  were  utterly  exhausted, 
and  Bonny  was  suffering  so  intensely  that  he  hardly 
noticed  the  place  to  which  he  had  been  brought.  The 
moment  he  gained  the  hut  he  sank  down  on  its  pile  of 
goat-skins  with  closed  eyes,  and  so  white  a  face  that 
he  seemed  about  to  faint. 

When  Alaric  was  there  before,  he  had  mended  the 
fire  and  set  on  a  kettle  of  water,  with  a  view  to  just  such 
an  emergency  as  the  present.  The  water  was  still  boil- 
ing, and  so  within  three  minutes  he  was  able  to  give 
his  patient  a  cup  of  strong  tea  that  greatly  revived  him. 
Food  was  the  next  thing  to  be  thought  of,  and  Alaric 
did  not  hesitate  to  appropriate  one  of  the  strips  of 
goat's  flesh  that  hung  overhead.  Not  being  quite  sure 
of  the  best  way  to  cook  this,  he  cut  one  portion  into 


HOW   A   SONG   SAVED   ALARIC'S   LIFE  223 

small  bits,  put  them  into  the  kettle  with  a  little  water, 
and  set  the  whole  on  the  fire  to  simmer.  Another  por- 
tion he  sliced  thin  and  laid  in  the  fry-pan,  which  he 
also  set  on  the  fire.  Still  a  third  bit  he  spitted  on  a 
long  stick  and  held  close  to  a  bed  of  coals,  where  it  friz- 
zled with  snch  an  appetizing  odor  that  he  could  not 
wait  for  it  to  be  cooked  before  cutting  off.  small  bits  to 
sample.  They  were  so  good  that  he  went  to  offer  some 
to  Bonny ;  but  finding  the  latter  still  lying  with  closed 
eyes,  thought  best  not  to  disturb  him.  So  he  sat  alone 
and  ate  all  the  frizzled  meat,  and  all  that  was  in  the 
fry-pan,  and  was  still  so  hungry  that  he  procured  an- 
other strip  of  meat  from  the  hut,  and  began  all  over 
again. 

They  had  been  nearly  two  hours  in  the  camp  before 
his  ravenous  appetite  was  fully  satisfied,  and  by  that 
time  the  contents  of  the  pot  had  simmered  into  a  sort 
of  thick  broth.  .At  a  faint  call  from  Bonny,  Alaric 
carried  some  of  this  to  him,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  him  swallow  a  whole  cupful.  Then,  as  night 
was  again  approaching,  he  helped  his  patient  into  one 
of  the  sleeping-bags,  which  he  underlaid  with  several 
goat-skins,  and  sat  by  him  until  he  fell  into  a  doze. 
When  this  happened  Alaric  went  softly  outside,  and, 
to  dispel  the  gathering  gloom,  piled  logs  on  the  fire 
until  it  was  in  a  bright  blaze.  Sitting  a  little  to  one 
side,  half  in  light  and  half  in  shadow,  and  having  no 
present  occupation,  the  lad  fell  into  a  deep  reverie. 
How  was  this  strange  adventure  to  end  ?  Who  owned 
that  camp,  and  why  did  he  not  return  to  it  ?  What 
would  he  think  on  finding  strangers  in  possession  ? 
Had  any  boy  ever  stepped  from  one  life  into  another 
so  entirely  different  as  suddenly  and  completely  as 
he  ?  One  year  ago  at  this  time  he  was  in  France,  sur- 
rounded by  every  luxury  that  money  could  procure, 
carefully  guarded  from  every  form  of  anxiety,  and  de- 


224  RICK   DALE 

pendent  upon  others  for  everything.  Now  he  was 
thankful  for  the  shelter  of  a  hut,  and  a  meal  of  half- 
cooked  meat  prepared  by  his  own  hands.  He  not 
only  had  everything  to  do  for  himself,  but  had  an- 
other still  more  helpless  dependent  upon  him  for  every- 
thing. Was  he  any  happier  then  than  now  ?  No.  He 
could  honestly  say  that  he  preferred  his  present  posi- 
tion, with  its  health,  strength,  and  glorious  self-reli- 
ance, to  the  one  lie  had  resigned. 

Still  there  had  been  happy  times  in  that  other  life. 
Two  years  ago,  for  instance,  when  his  mother  and  he 
had  travelled  leisurely  through  Germany,  halting  when- 
ever they  chose,  and  remaining  as  long  as  places  in- 
terested them.  Thoughts  of  his  mother  recalled  the 
plaintive  little  German  folk-song  of  which  she  had 
been  so  fond. 

Muss  i  denn.  Yes,  that  was  it,  and  involuntarily 
Alaric  began  to  hum  the  air.  Then  the  words  began 
to  fit  themselves  to  it,  and  before  he  realized  what  he 
was  doing  he  was  singing  softly  : 

"Muss  i  denn,  muss  i  denn 
Zum  Stadtele  'naus,  Stadtele  'naus  : 
Und  du,  mein  Schatz,  bleibst  hier." 

So  engrossed  was  the  lad  with  his  thoughts  and 
with  trying  to  recall  the  words  of  the  song  running 
in  his  head  that  he  heard  nothing  of  a  soft  footstep 
that  for  several  minutes  had  been  stealthily  approach- 
ing the  fire-lit  place  where  he  sat.  He  knew  nothing 
of  the  wild  eyes  that,  peering  from  a  haggard  face, 
were  fixed  upon  him  with  the  glare  of  madness.  He 
had  no  suspicion  of  the  brown  rifle-barrel  that  was  slow- 
ly raised  until  he  was  covered  by  its  deadly  aim.  But 
now  he  had  recalled  all  the  words  of  his  song,  and 
they  rang  out  strong  and  clear  : 


HOW   A    SONG   SAVED   ALARICTS   LIFE  225 

"Muss  i  denD,  muss  i  denn 
Zum  Stildtele  'naus,  Stadtele  'naus : 
Und  du-" 

At  that  moment  there  came  a  great  cry  behind  him: 
" Achy  Himmel!  Wer  ist  denn  das?"  and  the  startled 
lad  sprang  to  his  feet  in  terror. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
LAID   UP   FOR  REPAIRS 

ABOUT  the  time  when  Alaric  was  pleasantly  travel- 
ling with  his  mother  in  Germany,  Hans  Altman,  with 
Gretchen,  his  wife,  and  Eittel,  his  little  daughter, 
dwelt  in  a  valley  of  the  Harz  Mountains.  Although 
Hans  was  a  poor  man,  he  found  plenty  of  work  with 
which  to  support  his  family  in  comfort,  but  he  could 
never  forget  that  his  father  had  been  a  burgomeister, 
and  much  better  off  in  this  world's  goods  than  he. 
Thinking  of  this  made  him  discontented  and  unhappy, 
until  finally  he  determined  to  sell  what  little  they  had 
and  come  to  America,  or,  as  he  called  it,  "  the  land  of 
gold,"  with  the  hope  of  bettering  his  fortunes.  In 
vain  did  Gretchen  protest  that  nowhere  in  the  world 
could  they  be  so  happy  or  so  well  off  as  in  their  own 
land  and  among  their  own  people.  Even  her  tears 
failed  to  turn  him  from  his  purpose.  So  they  came 
to  this  country,  and  at  length  drifted  to  the  far-away 
shores  of  Puget  Sound,  where  they  stranded,  wellnigh 
penniless,  ignorant  of  the  language  and  customs  of 
those  about  them,  helpless  and  forlorn.  With  the 
distress  of  mind  caused  by  this  state  of  affairs,  Hans 
grew  melancholy  and  irritable,  and  when  Eittel  died 
he  declared  that  he  himself  had  killed  her.  The 
faithful  Gretchen  soon  followed  her  little  daughter, 
and  with  this  terrible  blow  the  poor  man's  mind 
gave  way  entirely.  He  not  only  fancied  himself  a 
murderer,  but  believed  officers  of  the  law  to  be  in 


LAID   UP  FOR   REPAIRS  227 

pursuit  of  him,  and  that  if  captured  he  would  be 
hanged. 

Filled  with  this  idea,  he  fled  on  the  very  night 
of  his  wife's  death,  and  having  been  born  among 
mountains,  now  instinctively  sought  in  them  a  place 
of  refuge.  He  carried  an  axe  with  him,  and  some- 
where procured  a  rifle  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  ammu- 
nition. Through  the  vast  forest  he  made  his  way  far 
from  the  haunts  of  men,  ever  climbing  higher  and 
penetrating  more  deeply  among  the  friendly  moun- 
tains, until  finally  he  reached  a  tiny  valley,  in  which 
he  believed  himself  safe  from  pursuit.  Here  he  built 
a  rude  hut,  and  became  a  hunter  of  mountain-goats. 
Their  flesh  furnished  him  with  food,  their  skins  with 
bedding  and  clothing,  while  from  their  horns  he 
carved  many  a  rude  utensil. 

In  this  way  he  had  lived  for  nearly  two  months, 
when  our  lost  and  sorely  perplexed  lads  stumbled 
upon  his  camp,  and  found  in  it  a  haven  of  safety. 
In  the  peaceful  quiet  of  those  mountain  solitudes  the 
poor  man  had  become  calmly  content  with  his  primi- 
tive mode  of  life,  and  was  even  happy  as  he  recalled 
how  skilfully  he  had  eluded  a  fancied  pursuit,  and  how 
impossible  it  had  now  become  for  those  who  sought 
his  life  to  discover  his  retreat. 

It  was  in  this  frame  of  mind  that,  on  returning 
from  a  long  day's  hunt  with  a  body  of  a  goat  slung 
across  his  back,  he  saw,  to  his  dismay,  that  his  hiding- 
place  had  been  found,  and  that  his  camp  was  occupied 
by  strangers.  Of  course  they  were  enemies  who  were 
now  waiting  to  kill  him.  He  would  fly  so  fast  and  so 
far  that  they  could  never  follow.  No ;  better  than 
that,  he  would  kill  them  before  they  were  even  aware 
of  his  presence.  This  was  a  grand  idea,  and  the  mad- 
man chuckled  softly  to  himself  as  it  came  to  him. 
Laying  his  dead  goat  on  the  ground,  and  whispering 


228  RICK   DALE 

to  it  not  to  be  afraid,  for  he  would  soon  return,  the 
man  crept  stealthily  forward  towards  the  fire-light. 
At  length  he  spied  the  form  of  what  he  believed  to 
be  one  of  his  pursuers,  sitting  half  hid  in  the  shadows 
and  doubtless  waiting  for  him.  Ha  !  ha  !  How  disap- 
pointed that  enemy  would  be  when  he  found  himself 
dead  !  and  with  a  silent  chuckle  the  madman  lifted 
his  rifle. 

At  that  terrible  moment  the  notes  of  Alaric's  song 
were  borne  to  him  on  the  still  night  air,  and  then 
came  the  words : 

"  Muss  i  denn,  muss  i  denn 
Und  du,  mem  Schatz,  bleibst  hier." 

ft  was  his  Gretchen's  song,  and  those  were  the  very 
words  she  had  sung  to  him  so  often  in  their  happy 
Harz  Valley  home.  The  uplifted  arm  dropped  as 
though  palsied,  and,  like  one  who  hears  a  voice  from 
the  dead,  the  man  uttered  a  mighty  cry  of  mingled 
fear  and  longing ;  at  the  same  moment  he  stepped  into 
the  full  glare  of  fire-light  and  confronted  Alaric,  at 
whom  he  poured  a  torrent  of  questions  in  German. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  How  came  you  here  ?  What  do 
you  want  ?  Have  you  seen  my  Gretchen  ?  Where 
did  you  learn  to  sing  '  Miiss  i  denn '  f 

"In  Germany,  of  course,  where  everybody  sings 
it,"  replied  Alaric,  answering  the  last  question  first, 
and  speaking  in  the  man's  own  language.  "And  I 
didn't  think  you  would  mind  if  we  took  possession  of 
your  camp  until  your  return ;  for,  you  see,  we  are  in 
great  trouble." 

"Ach,  no !  All  who  are  in  trouble  should  come 
with  me ;  for  I,  too,  have  many,  many  troubles,"  re- 
plied the  man,  his  blue  eyes  losing  their  fierce  look 


LAID  UP  FOR  REPAIRS  229 

and  filling  with  tears.  But  I  never  meant  to  do  it. 
Gott  in  ffimmel  knows  I  never  meant  to  do  it." 

"Of  course  not/'  said  Alaric,  soothingly,  anxious 
to  quiet  the  man's  agitation,  and  suspecting  that  his 
mind  was  not  quite  right.  "  Nobody  thinks  you 
did." 

"Yes,  they  do,  the  cruel  men  who  would  kill  me; 
but  you  will  stay  and  drive  them  away  if  they  come, 
will  you  not?  You  will  be  my  friend  —  you,  to 
whom  I  can  talk  with  the  tongue  of  the  fatherland  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  will  stay  and  be  your  friend,  if  you 
will  help  me  care  for  another  friend  who  lies  yonder 
very  ill." 

"Ja!  ja  !  I  will  help  you  if  you  will  stay  and  talk 
to  me  of  Gretchen,  and  sing  to  me  '  Muss  i  denn. ' '; 

"  Very  good,"  agreed  Alaric.  "It  is,  then,  a  con- 
tract between  us."  At  the  same  time  he  said  to  him- 
self: "He  is  a  mighty  queer-looking  chap  to  have  for 
a  friend ;  but  I  suppose  there  are  worse,  and  I  guess 
I  can  manage  him.  It's  a  lucky  thing  I  know  a  little 
German,  though,  for  he  looked  fierce  enough  to  kill 
me  until  I  began  to  talk  with  him." 

The  appearance  of  the  man  was  certainly  calculated 
to  inspire  uneasiness,  especially  when  taken  in  con- 
nection with  his  incoherent  words.  He  was  an  im- 
mense fellow,  with  shaggy  hair  and  untrimmed  beard. 
On  his  head  was  perched  a  ridiculous  little  cloth  cap, 
while  over  his  shoulders  was  flung  a  cloak  of  goat- 
skins, that  added  greatly  to  his  appearance  of  size  and 
general  shagginess.  His  lower  limbs  were  covered 
with  leggings  of  the  same  hairy  material.  His  or- 
dinary expression  was  the  fierce  look  of  a  hunted  ani- 
mal, but  now  it  was  softened  by  the  rare  pleasure  of 
meeting  one  who  could  talk  with  him  in  his  own  lan- 
guage. 

From  that  first  moment  of  strange  introduction  his 


230  RICK    DALE 

eagerness  to  be  with  Alaric  and  induce  him  to  talk 
was  pathetic.  To  him  he  poured  out  all  his  sorrows, 
together  with  daily  protests  that  he  had  never  meant 
to  kill  his  Gretchen  and  little  Eittel.  For  the  sake  of 
this  companionship  he  was  willing  to  do  anything  that 
might  add  to  the  comfort  of  his  guests.  He  scoured 
forest  and  mountain-side  in  search  of  game,  and  rarely 
returned  empty-handed.  He  fetched  amazing  loads 
of  wood  on  his  back,  went  on  long  expeditions  after 
berries,  set  cunningly  devised  snares  for  ptarmigan, 
and  found  ample  recompense  for  all  his  labor  in  lying 
at  full  length  before  the  camp-fire  at  night  and  talk- 
ing with  Alaric.  Bonny  he  mistrusted  as  being  one 
who  could  speak  no  German,  and  only  bore  with  him 
for  the  sake  of  his  friend. 

Nor  was  he  greatly  liked  by  the  lad,  whose  injuries 
compelled  a  long  acceptance  of  his  hospitality.  "  I 
know  he's  good  to  us,  and  won't  let  you  do  any  work 
that  he  can  help,  and  all  that,"  Bonny  would  say; 
' '  but  somehow  I  can't  trust  him  nor  like  him.  He'll 
play  us  some  mean  trick  yet,  see  if  he  don't." 

"  But  he  saved  our  lives  ;  for  if  we  hadn't  found  his 
camp  we  should  certainly  have  starved  to  death." 

' '  That's  just  it !  We  found  his  camp.  He  didn't 
find  us,  and  never  would  have.  Anyhow,  he's  as  crazy 
as  a  loon,  and  will  bear  a  heap  of  watching." 

For  all  this,  Bonny  did  not  allow  his  anxiety  to  inter- 
fere with  a  speedy  recovery  from  his  injuries,  and  by 
the  aid  of  youthful  vigor,  a  splendid  constitution, 
complete  rest,  plenty  of  fo'od,  and  the  glorious  moun- 
tain air,  his  broken  bones  knit  so  rapidly  that  in  one 
month's  time  he  declared  himself  to  be  mended  and 
as  good  as  new. 

Although  Alaric  insisted  that  he  should  carry  his 
arm  in  a  sling  for  a  while  longer,  they  now  began  to 
plan  eagerly  for  a  continuance  of  their  journey  down 


LAID    UP   FOR   REPAIRS  231 

the  mountain  and  a  return  to  civilization.  By  this 
time  they  were  as  heartily  sick  of  goat-meat  as  they 
had  ever  been  of  fish  in  Skookum  John's  camp, 
tired  of  the  terrible  loneliness  of  their  situation,  and, 
more  than  all,  tired  of  their  enforced  idleness,  with 
nothing  to  read  and  little  to  do.  Alaric  had  beguiled 
many  long  hours  with  his  baseball,  which  he  could  now 
throw  with  astonishing  precision  and  catch  with  either 
hand  in  almost  any  position.  As  this  ball,  bought  in 
San  Francisco,  was  the  sole  connecting-link  between 
his  present  and  his  former  life,  it  always  reminded 
him  of  his  father,  whom  he  now  longed  to  see,  that  he 
might  relieve  the  anxiety  he  felt  certain  Amos  Todd 
must  be  suffering  on  his  account. 

The  boys  often  talked  of  M.  Filbert,  and  wondered 
what  had  become  of  him.  At  first  Alaric  made  an 
earnest  effort  to  induce  Hans  Altman  to  go  in  search 
of  the  Frenchman's  camp  and  notify  him  of  their 
safety ;  but  the  German  became  so  excitedly  angry  at 
the  mere  mention  of  such  a  thing  that  he  was  forced 
to  relinquish  the  idea.  He  would  gladly  have  under- 
taken the  trip  himself,  but  could  not  leave  Bonny. 

Their  strange  host  became  equally  angry  at  any 
mention  of  their  leaving  him,  and  refused  to  give  any 
information  concerning  their  present  locality  or  the 
nearest  point  at  which  other  human  beings  might  be 
found.  Nor  did  he  ever  evince  the  least  curiosity  as 
to  where  they  had  come  from.  It  was  enough  for  him 
that  they  were  there. 

When  the  time  for  them  to  depart  drew  so  near  that 
the  boys  could  talk  of  nothing  else,  Alaric  made  an- 
other effort  to  gain  some  information  from  the  German 
that  would  guide  their  movements,  but  in  vain.  He 
only  succeeded  in  arousing  the  man's  suspicions  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  grew  morose,  would  not  leave 
camp  unless  Alaric  went  with  him,  and  watched  fur- 


232  RICK   DALE 

tively  every  movement  that  the  boys  made.  Bonny 
realized  this,  and  spoke  of  it  to  his  comrade.  "I  be- 
lieve this  Dutchman  regards  ns  as  his  prisoners,  and 
has  made  up  his  mind  not  to  allow  us  to  escape  him/' 
he  said.  But  Alaric  only  laughed,  and  answered  that 
he  guessed  they  would  get  away  easy  enough  when- 
ever they  were  ready  to  go. 

The  two  lads  slept  at  one  end  of  the  hut  with  their 
host  at  the  other,  and  that  very  night  something  hap- 
pened to  confirm  Bonny's  worst  fears  and  fill  him 
with  such  horror  that  he  determined  never  again  to 
sleep  within  miles  of  that  vicinity. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
CHASED  BY  A  MADMAN 

bed  was  nearest  the  side  of  the  hut,  while 
Alaric  lay  beyond  him  towards  its  centre.  Morning 
was  breaking  when  the  former  awoke  from  a  troubled 
dream,  so  filled  with  a  presentiment  of  impending  evil 
that  his  forehead  was  bathed  in  a  cold  perspiration. 
For  the  space  of  a  minute  he  lay  motionless,  striving 
to  reassure  himself  that  his  terror  was  without  foun- 
dation. All  at  once  he  became  conscious  that  some, 
one  was  talking  in  a  low  tone,  and,  glancing  in  that 
direction,  saw  the  form  of  their  host,  magnified  by 
the  dim  light  into  gigantic  proportions,  bending  over 
Alaric.  The  man  held  an  uplifted  knife,  and  was 
muttering  to  himself  in  German ;  but  at  Bonny's  cry 
of  horror  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  disappeared  through 
the  doorway. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  Alaric,  sleepily,  only 
half  awakened  by  Bonny's  cry.  "Been  having  bad 
dreams  ?" 

"Yes,  and  a  worse  reality,"  answered  the  other, 
huskily.  "  Oh,  Kick  !  he  was  going  to  kill  you,  and 
if  I  hadn't  waked  when  I  did  we  should  both  have 
been  dead  by  this  time.  He  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
murder  us ;  I  know  he  has." 

A  minute  later  Alaric  had  heard  the  whole  story, 
and,  as  excited  as  Bonny  himself,  was  hurriedly  slip- 
ping on  his  coat  and  boots.  They  knew  not  which 
way  to  go,  nor  what  to  do,  but  both  were  eager  to 


234  RICK  DALE 

escape  from  the  hut  into  the  open,  where  they  might 
at  least  have  a  chance  to  run  in  case  of  an  attack. 

As  they  emerged  from  the  doorway,  casting  appre- 
hensive glances  in  every  direction,  Alaric's  baseball, 
that  had  been  left  in  one  of  his  coat-pockets  the  even- 
ing before,  slipped  through  a  hole  in  the  lining  and 
fell  to  the  ground.  Hardly  conscious  of  what  he  was 
doing,  the  lad  stooped  to  pick  it  up.  At  that  same  in- 
stant came  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle, and  the  "ping" 
of  a  bullet  that  whistled  just  above  his  head. 

"  He  is  shooting  at  us  I"  gasped  Bonny.  "  Come, 
quick,  before  he  can  reload/' 

Without  another  word  the  lads  dashed  into  the 
clump  of  trees  sheltering  the  camp,  and  down  the 
slope  on  which  it  stood.  They  would  have  preferred 
going  the  other  way,  but  the  rifle-shot  had  come  from 
that  direction,  and  so  they  had  no  choice.  Their 
movements  being  at  first  concealed  by  the  timber, 
there  was  no  sign  of  pursuit  until  they  gained  the 
open  valley  and  started  to  cross  it.  Then  came  a 
wild  yell  from  behind,  and  they  knew  that  their  flight 
was  discovered. 

Breathlessly  they  sped  through  the  dewy  meadow, 
sadly  impeded  by  its  rank  growth  of  grass  and  flow- 
ers, towards  a  narrow  exit  through  the  wall  bound- 
ing its  lower  end  that  Alaric  had  long  ago  discovered. 
Through  this  a  brawling  stream  made  its  way,  and  by 
means  of  its  foaming  channel  the  boys  hoped  to  effect 
an  escape. 

As  they  gained  the  rocky  portal  Bonny  glanced  back 
and  uttered  a  cry  of  dismay,  for  their  late  host  was  in 
plain  view,  leaping  down  the  slope  towards  the  meadow 
they  had  just  crossed.  He  was  then  bent  on  overtak- 
ing them,  and  the  pursuit  had  begun  in  earnest. 

As  there  was  no  pathway  besides  that  offered  by  the 
bed  of  the  stream,  they  were  forced  to  plunge  into  its 


CHASED   BY  A   MADMAK  235 

icy  torrent  and  follow  its  tumultuous  course  over  slip- 
pery rocks,  through  occasional  still  pools  whose  waters 
often  reached  to  the  waist,  and  down  foaming  cascades, 
with  a  reckless  disregard  for  life  or  limb.  In  this  man- 
ner they  descended  several  hundred  feet,  and  when 
from  the  bottom  they  looked  up  over  the  way  they 
had  come  they  felt  that  they  must  surely  have  been 
upborne  by  wings.  But  there  was  no  time  for  con- 
templation, for  at  that  moment  a  plunging  bowlder 
from  above  warned  them  that  their  pursuer  was  al- 
ready in  the  channel. 

Now  they  were  in  a  forest,  not  of  the  giant  trees 
they  would  find  at  a  lower  altitude,  but  one  of  tall 
hemlocks  and  alpine-firs,  growing  with  such  density 
that  the  panting  fugitives  could  with  difficulty  force 
a  way  between  them.  They  stumbled  over  prostrate 
trunks,  slipped  on  beds  of  damp  mosses,  were  clutched 
by  woody  fingers,  from  whose  hold  their  clothing  was 
torn  with  many  a  grievous  rent ;  and,  with  all  their 
efforts,  made  such  slow  progress  that  they  momenta- 
rily expected  to  be  overtaken.  Nor  were  their  fears 
groundless,  for  they  had  not  gone  half  a  mile  ere  a 
crashing  behind  them  told  that  their  pursuer  was 
close  at  hand.  As  they  exchanged  a  despairing 
glance,  Bonny  said :  ( '  The  only  thing  we  can  do  is 
hide,  for  I  can't  run  any  farther. " 

"Where  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

"  Here/'  replied  Bonny,  diving  as  he  spoke  into  a 
bed  of  ferns.  Alaric  followed,  and  as  they  flattened 
themselves  to  the  ground,  barely  concealed  by  the 
green  tips  nodding  above  their  backs,  the  madman 
leaped  into  the  space  they  had  just  vacated,  and  stood 
so  close  to  them  that  they  could  have  reached  out  and 
touched  him.  His  cap  had  disappeared,  his  hair 
streamed  over  his  shoulders  like  a  tawny  mane ;  his 
clothing  was  torn,  a  scratch  had  streaked  his  face 

16 


286  HICK  DALE 

with  blood,  and  his  deep-set  eyes  shone  with  the  wild 
light  of  insanity.  He  had  flung  away  his  rifle,  but  his 
right  hand  clutched  a  knife,  keen  and  long-bladed. 
The  crouching  lads  held  their  breath  as  he  paused 
for  an  instant  beside  them.  Then,  uttering  a  snarling 
cry,  he  dashed  on,  and  with  cautiously  lifted  heads 
they  watched  him  out  of  sight. 

"  Whew  !"  ejaculated  Bonny,  ' { that  was  a  close 
call.  But  I  say,  Rick,  this  business  of  running  away 
and  being  chased  seems  quite  like  old  times,  don't  it  ?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Alaric,  with  a  shuddering  sigh  of 
mingled  relief  and  apprehension,  "it  certainly  does, 
and  this  is  the  worst  of  all.  But  what  shall  we  do 
now  ?" 

' '  I  don't  know  of  anything  else  but  to  keep  right  on 
downhill  after  going  far  enough  to  one  side  to  give 
his  course  a  wide  berth.  Fd  like  awfully  to  have  some 
breakfast,  but  I  wouldn't  go  back  to  that  camp  for  it 
if  it  were  the  only  place  in  the  world.  Fd  about  as  soon 
starve  as  eat  another  mouthful  of  goat,  anyway.  We 
are  sure  to  come  out  somewhere,  though,  if  we  only 
stick  to  a  downward  course  long  enough." 

So  the  boys  bore  to  the  right,  and  within  a  few  min- 
utes had  the  satisfaction  of  noting  certain  gleamings 
through  the  trees  that  betokened  some  kind  of  an 
opening.  Guided  by  these,  they  soon  came  to  a  ridge  of 
bowlders  and  gravel,  forming  one  of  the  lateral  mo- 
raines of  a  glacier  that  lay  in  glistening  whiteness 
beyond. 

"  We  might  as  well  follow  along  its  edge,"  suggested 
Bonny;  "for  all  these  glaciers  seem  to  run  downhill, 
and,  bad  as  the  walking  is  over  mud  and  rocks,  we  can 
make  better  time  here  than  through  the  woods." 

They  had  not  gone  more  than  a  mile  in  this  fashion, 
and,  believing  that  they  had  successfully  eluded  their 
pursuer,  were  rapidly  recovering  from  their  recent 


CHASED  BY   A   MADMAN  237 

fright,  when  they  were  startled  by  a  cry  like  that  of  a 
wild  beast  close  at  hand.  Glancing  up,  they  were 
nearly  paralyzed  with  terror  to  see  the  madman  grin- 
ning horribly  with  delight  at  having  discovered  them, 
and  about  to  rush  down  the  steep  slope  to  where  they 
stood. 

There  was  but  an  instant  of  hesitation,  and  then 
both  lads  sprang  ont  on  the  rugged  surface  of  the 
glacier,  and  made  a  dash  for  its  far-away  opposite  side. 
It  was  a  dangerous  path,  slippery,  rough  beyond  de- 
scription, and  beset  with  yawning  crevasses ;  but  they 
were  willing  to  risk  all  its  perils  for  a  slender  chance 
of  escaping  the  certain  death  that  was  speeding  tow- 
ards the  place  they  had  just  left.  If  they  could  only 
gain  the  opposite  timber,  they  might  possibly  hide  as 
before.  It  was  a  faint  hope,  but  their  only  one. 

So  they  ran,  slipped,  stumbled,  took  flying  leaps 
over  the  parted  white  lips  of  narrow  crevasses,  and 
made  detours  to  avoid  such  as  were  too  wide  to  be 
thus  spanned.  They  had  no  time  to  look  behind,  nor 
any  need.  The  fierce  cries  of  the  madman  warned 
them  that  he  was  in  hot  pursuit  and  ever  drawing 
nearer.  At  one  place  the  ice  rang  hollow  beneath 
their  feet,  and  they  even  fancied  that  it  gave  an  omi- 
nous crack ;  but  they  could  not  pause  to  speculate  as 
to  its  condition.  That  it  was  behind  them  was  enough. 

Ere  half  the  distance  was  passed  they  were  drawing 
their  breath  with  panting  sobs,  and  Bonny,  not  yet 
wholly  recovered  from  his  illness,  began  to  lag  behind. 
Noting  this,  Alaric  also  slackened  his  speed ;  but  his 
comrade  gasped : 

"  No,  Rick.  Don't  stop.  Save  yourself.  Fm  done 
for.  You  can't  help  me.  Good-bye." 

Thus  saying,  and  too  exhausted  to  run  farther,  the 
lad  faced  about  to  meet  their  terrible  pursuer,  and 
struggle  with  him  for  a  delay  that  might  aid  the  escape 


238  RICK   DALE 

of  his  friend.  To  his  amazement,  there  was  no  pursuer, 
nor  in  all  that  white  expanse  was  there  a  human  be- 
ing to  be  seen  save  themselves. 

At  his  comrade's  despairing  words  Alaric  too  had 
turned,  with  the  determination  of  sharing  his  fate ;  so 
they  now  stood  side  by  side  breathing  heavily,  and 
gazing  about  them  in  wondering  silence. 

"  What  has  become  of  him  ?"  asked  Bonny  at  length, 
in  an  awed  tone,  but  little  above  a  whisper. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Alaric.  "  He  can't  have 
gone  back,  for  there  hasn't  been  time.  He  can't  be  in 
hiding,  for  there  is  no  place  in  which  he  could  conceal 
himself,  nor  have  we  passed  any  crevasse  that  he  could 
not  leap.  But  if  he  has  slipped  into  one  !  Oh,  Bonny ! 
it  is  too  awful  to  think  of." 

"I  heard  him  only  a  few  seconds  ago,"  said  Bonny, 
in  the  same  awed  tone,  "and  his  voice  sounded  so 
close  that  with  each  instant  I  expected  to  be  in  his 
clutches." 

"  Bonny  !"  exclaimed  Alaric,  ' '  do  you  remember  a 
place  that  sounded  hollow  ?" 

"Yes." 

"  We  must  go  back  to  it,  for  I  believe  he  has  broken 
through.  If  it  is  in  our  power  to  help  him  we  must 
do  it ;  if  not,  we  must  know  what  has  happened." 

They  had  to  retrace  their  steps  but  a  few  yards 
before  coming  to  a  fathomless  opening  with  jagged 
sides  and  splintered  edges,  where  the  thin  ice  that  had 
afforded  them  a  safe  passage  had  given  way  beneath 
the  heavier  weight  of  their  pursuer.  No  sound  save 
that  of  rushing  waters  came  from  the  cruel  depths, 
nor  was  there  any  sign. 

The  boys  lingered  irresolutely  about  the  place  for  a 
few  minutes,  and  then  fled  from  it  as  from  an  impend- 
ing terror. 

For  the  remainder  of  that  day,  though  no  longer  in 


THEY    WERE    PARALYZED    WITH    TERROR   TO   SEE    THE   MAD 
MAN  GRINNING   HORRIBLY" 


CHASED  BY   A   MADMAN  239 

dread  of  pursuit,  they  made  what  speed  they  might 
down  the  mountain-side,  following  rough  river-beds, 
threading  belts  of  mighty  forest,  climbing  steep  slopes, 
and  descending  others  into  narrow  valleys. 

The  sun  was  near  his  setting,  and  our  lads  were  so 
nigh  exhausted  that  they  had  seated  themselves  on  a 
moss-covered  log  to  rest,  when  they  were  startled  by 
a  heavy  rending  crash  that  echoed  through  the  listen- 
ing forest  with  a  roar  like  distant  thunder. 

The  boys  looked  at  each  other,  and  then  at  what 
bits  of  sky  they  could  see  through  the  far-away  tree- 
tops.  It  was  of  unclouded  blue,  and  the  sun  was  still 
shining. 

"  Kick  I"  cried  Bonny,  starting  to  his  feet,  "  I  be- 
lieve it  was  a  falling  tree." 

"Well?" 

"  I  mean  one  that  was  made  to  fall  by  axe  and  saw." 

"  Oh,  Bonny !"  was  all  that  Alaric  could  reply  ;  but 
in  another  instant  he  was  leading  the  way  through 
tall  ferns  and  along  the  stately  forest  aisles  in  the  di- 
rection from  which  had  come  the  mighty  crash. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 
A   GANG   OF  FRIENDLY  LOGGERS 

A  PERFECT  day  of  early  September  was  drawing  to 
its  close,  and  the  gang  of  loggers  belonging  to  Camp 
No.  10  of  the  Northwest  Lumber  Company,  which 
operated  in  the  vast  timber  belt  clothing  the  northern 
flanks  of  Mount  Rainier,  were  about  to  knock  off 
work.  From  earliest  morning  the  stately  forest,  sweet- 
scented  with  the  odors  of  resin,  freshly  cut  cedar, 
and  crushed  ferns,  had  resounded  with  their  shouts 
and  laughter,  the  ring  of  their  axes,  the  steady  swish 
of  saws,  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees.  To  one  fa- 
miliar only  with  Eastern  logging,  where  summer  is  a 
time  of  idleness,  and  everything  depends  on  the  snows 
of  winter,  followed  by  the  high  waters  of  spring,  the 
different  methods  of  these  Northwestern  woodsmen 
would  be  matters  of  constant  surprise.  Their  work 
goes  on  without  a  pause  from  year's  end  to  year's 
end.  There  is  no  hauling  on  sleds,  no  vast  accumula- 
tions of  logs  on  the  .ice  of  rivers  or  lakes,  no  river 
driving,  no  mighty  jams  to  be  cleared  at  imminent 
risk  of  life  and  limb — nothing  that  is  customary  in 
the  East.  Even  the  mode  of  cutting  down  trees  is 
different. 

The  choppers — or  "  fallers,"  as  they  are  called  in  the 
Northwest — do  not  work,  as  do  their  brethren  of  Maine 
or  Wisconsin,  from  the  ground,  wielding  their  axes 
first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other  until  the  tree 
falls.  The  girth  of  the  mighty  firs  and  cedars  of  that 


A  GANG  OF  FRIENDLY  LOGGERS  241 

country  is  so  great  at  ordinary  chopping  height  that 
two  men  working  in  that  way  would  not  bring  down 
more  than  two  trees  in  a  day,  instead  of  the  ten  or  a 
dozen  required  of  them.  So,  by  means  of  what  are 
known  as  ' '  spring-boards/'  they  gain  a  height  of  eight 
or  ten  feet,  and  then  begin  operations. 

The  ingenious  contrivances  that  enable  them  to  do 
this  are  narrow  boards  of  tough  vine  maple,  five  or 
six  feet  long,  and  about  one  foot  wide.  Each  is  armed 
at  its  inner  end  with  a  sharp  steel  spur  affixed  to  its 
upper  side.  This  end  being  thrust  into  a  notch 
opened  in  the  tree  some  four  feet  below  where  the 
cut  is  to  be  made,  the  weight  of  a  man  on  its  outer 
end  causes  the  spur  to  bite  deep  into  the  wood,  and 
to  hold  the  board  firmly  in  place. 

Having  determined  the  direction  in  which  the  tree 
shall  fall,  and  fixed  their  spring-boards  accordingly, 
two  "  fallers  "  mount  them,  and  chop  out  a  deep  un- 
der cut  on  the  side  that  is  to  lie  undermost.  They 
work  with  double-bitted  or  two-edged  axes,  and  can 
so  truly  guide  the  fall  by  means  of  the  under  cut  that 
they  are  willing  to  set  a  stake  one  hundred  feet  away 
and  guarantee  that  the  descending  trunk  shall  drive 
it  into  the  ground.  With  the  under  cut  chopped  out 
to  their  satisfaction,  they  remove  their  spring-boards 
to  the  opposite  side,  and  finish  the  task  with  a  long, 
two-handled,  coarse-toothed  saw. 

As  the  mighty  tree  yields  up  its  life  and  comes  to 
the  ground  with  a  grand,  far-echoing  crash,  it  is  set 
upon  by  "buckers"  (who  saw  its  great  trunk  into 
thirty -foot  lengths),  barkers,  rigging- slingers,  hand- 
skidders,  and  teamsters,  whose  splendid  horses,  aided 
by  tackle  of  iron  blocks  and  length  of  wire-rope,  drag 
it  out  to  the  "skid -road."  This  is  a  cleared  and 
rudely  graded  track,  set  with  heavy  cross-ties,  over 
which  the  logs  may  slide,  and  it  is  provided  with  wire 


242  RICK  DALE 

cables,  whose  half-mile  lengths  are  operated  by  sta- 
tionary engines.  By  this  means  "  turns  "  of  five  or 
six  of  the  huge  logs,  chained  one  behind  the  other, 
are  hauled  down  the  winding  skid -road  through 
gulch  and  valley,  to  a  distant  railway  landing.  There 
they  are  loaded  on  a  long  train  of  heavy  flat  cars  that 
departs  every  night  for  the  mills  on  Puget  Sound. 
Here  the  sawed  lumber  is  run  aboard  waiting  ships, 
and  sent  in  them  to  all  ports  on  both  shores  of  the 
Pacific. 

So  wastefully  extravagant  are  the  lumbermen  of 
Washington  that  only  the  finest  trees  are  cut,  and 
only  that  portion  of  the  trunk  which  is  free  from 
limbs  is  made  into  logs.  All  the  remainder,  or  nearly 
half  of  each  tree,  is  left  on  the  ground  where  it  fell. 
Here  it  slowly  decays,  or,  turned  into  tinder,  catches 
fire  from  some  chance  spark  and  leaps  into  a  sea  of 
flame  that  sweeps  resistlessly  through  the  forest,  de- 
stroying in  one  day  more  timber  than  has  been  cut  in 
a  year. 

Thus,  while  thoughtless  and  ignorant  persons  de- 
clare the  timber  supply  of  the  Northwest  to  be  inex- 
haustible, others,  who  have  carefully  studied  the  sub- 
ject, do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  within  fifty  years,  at 
the  present  rate  of  reckless  destruction,  the  magnifi- 
cent forests  of  Washington  will  have  disappeared  for- 
ever. 

Such  questions  were  far  from  troubling  the  light- 
hearted  gang  of  loggers  whom  we  have  just  discovered 
in  the  act  of  quitting  work  for  the  day.  If  any  one 
of  them  were  to  be  asked  how  long  he  thought  the 
noble  forests  from  which  he  earned  a  livelihood  would 
last,  he  would  answer  : 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  and  don't  care.  They  will  last 
as  long  as  I  do,  and  that's  long  enough  for  me." 

They   were   laughing   and   joking,  lighting  their 


A  GANG  OF  FRIENDLY  LOGGERS  243 

pipes,  picking  np  tools,  and  beginning  to  straggle 
towards  the  road  that  led  to  camp,  when  suddenly  big 
Buck  Ranlet,  the  head  "faller,"  who  was  keener  of 
hearing  than  any  of  his  mates,  called  out : 

"  Hush  up,  fellows,  and  listen !  I  thought  I  heard 
a  yell  off  there  in  the  timber." 

In  the  silence  that  followed  they  all  heard  a  cry, 
faint  and  distant,  but  so  filled  with  distress  that  there 
was  no  mistaking  its  import. 

"  There's  surely  somebody  in  trouble !"  cried  Ran- 
let.  "  Lost  like  as  not.  Anyway,  they  are  calling  to 
us  for  help,  and  we  can't  go  back  on  'em.  So  come 
on,  men.  You  teamsters  stay  here  with  your  horses, 
and  give  us  a  yell  every  now  and  then,  so  we  can  come 
straight  back ;  for  even  we  don't  want  to  fool  round 
much  in  these  woods  after  dark.  Hello,  you  out 
there  !  Locate  yourselves  I" 

"  Hello  !    Help  !"  came  back  faintly  but  clearly. 

"  All  right !    We're  coming  !     Cheer  up  !" 

So  the  calling  and  answering  was  continued  for 
nearly  ten  minutes,  while  the  rescuing  party,  full  of 
curiosity  and  good-will,  plunged  through  the  gather- 
ing gloom,  over  logs  and  rocks,  through  beds  of  tall 
ferns  and  banks  of  moss,  in  which  they  sank  above 
their  ankles,  until  they  came  at  length  -  to  those 
whom  they  were  seeking  —  two  lads,  one  standing 
and  calling  to  them,  the  other  lying  silent  and  mo- 
tionless, where  he  had  fallen  in  a  dead  faint  from 
utter  exhaustion. 

( '  You  see,"  explained  Alaric,  apologetically,  half 
sobbing  with  joy  at  finding  himself  once  more  sur- 
rounded by  friendly  faces,  "  he  has  been  very  ill,  and 
we've  had  a  hard  day,  with  nothing  to  eat.  So  he 
gave  out.  I  should  have  too,  but  just  then  I  heard 
the  sound  of  chopping,  and  knew  the  light  was  shin- 
ing, and — and — "  Here  the  poor  tired  lad  broke 


344  HICK  DALE 

down,  sobbing  hysterically,  and  trying  to  laugh  at  the 
same  time. 

t '  There  !  there,  son  I"  exclaimed  Buck  Kanlet, 
soothingly,  but  with  a  suspicious  huskiness  in  his 
voice.  "  Brace  up,  and  forget  your  troubles  as  quick 
as  you  can  ;  for  they're  all  over  now,  and  you  sha'n't 
go  hungry  much  longer.  But  where  did  you  say  you 
came  from  ?" 

"  The  top  of  the  mountain." 

"  Not  down  the  north  side  ?" 

"Yes." 

' '  Great  Scott !  you  are  the  first  ever  did  it,  then. 
How  long  have  you  been  on  the  way  ?" 

"I  don't  know  exactly,  but  something  over  a 
month." 

"  The  poor  chap's  mind  is  wandering,"  said  the  big 
man  to  one  of  his  companions ;  "  for  no  one  ever 
came  down  the  north  side  alive,  and  no  one  could 
spend  a  whole  month  doing  it,  anyway.  I've  often 
heard,  though,  that  folks  went  crazy  when  they  got 
lost  in  the  woods." 

The  men  took  turns,  two  at  a  time,  in  carrying 
Bonny,  and  Buck  Ranlet  himself  assisted  Alaric,  un- 
til, guided  by  the  shouts  of  the  teamsters,  they  reached 
the  point  from  which  they  had  started. 

By  this  time  Bonny  had  regained  consciousness, 
and  was  wondering,  in  a  dazed  fashion,  what  had 
happened.  "  Is  it  all  right,  Rick  ?"  he  asked,  as  his 
comrade  bent  anxiously  over  him. 

"  Yes,  old  man,  it's  all  right ;  and  the  light  I  told 
you  of  is  shining  bright  and  clear  at  last." 

"  Queer,  isn't  it,  how  the  poor  lad's  mind  wanders?" 
remarked  Ranlet  to  one  of  the  men.  "He  thinks 
he  sees  a  bright  light,  while  I'll  swear  no  one  has 
so  much  as  struck  a  match.  We  must  hustle,  now, 
and  get  'em  to  camp.  Do  you  think  you  feel  strong 


A  GANG   OF  FRIENDLY   LOGGERS  245 

enough  to  set  straddle  of  a  horse,  son  ?"  he  asked  of 
Alaric. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  answered  the  boy,  cheerfully.  "  I 
feel  strong  enough  for  anything  now." 

"  Good  for  you  !  That's  the  talk  !  Give  us  a  foot 
and  let  me  h'ist  you  up.  Why,  lad,  you're  mighty 
nigh  barefooted  !  No  wonder  you  didn't  find  the 
walking  good.  Here,  Dick,  you  lead  the  horse,  while 
I  ride  Sal-lal  and  carry  the  little  chap." 

Thus  saying,  the  big  man  vaulted  to  the  back  of 
the  other  horse,  and,  reaching  down,  lifted  Bonny  up 
in  front  of  him  as  though  he  had  been  a  child. 

Camp  was  a  mile  or  more  away,  and  as  the  brawny 
loggers  escorted  their  unexpected  guests  to  it  down 
the  winding  skid -road,  they  eagerly  discussed  the 
strange  event  that  had  so  suddenly  broken  the  mo- 
notony of  their  lives,  though,  with  a  kind  considera- 
tion, they  refrained  from  asking  Alaric  any  more 
questions  just  then. 

"Hurry  on,  some  of  you  fellows,"  shouted  Kanlet, 
"and  light  up  my  shack,  for  these  chaps  are  going  to 
bunk  in  with  me  to-night.  I  claim  'em  on  account 
of  being  the  first  to  hear  'em,  you  know.  Start  a  fire 
in  the  square,  too,  so's  the  place  will  look  cheerful." 

No  one  will  ever  know  how  cheerful  and  homelike 
and  altogether  delightful  that  logging  camp  did  look 
to  our  poor  lads  after  their  long  and  terrible  experi- 
ence of  the  wilderness,  for  they  could  never  afterwards 
find  words  to  express  what  they  felt  on  coming  out  of 
the  darkness  into  its  glowing  firelight  and  hearty  wel- 
come. 

ef  Stand  back,  men,  and  give  us  a  show !"  shouted 
Ranlet,  as  they  drew  up  before  his  own  little  ' '  shack," 
built  of  split  cedar  boards.  "  This  isn't  any  funeral ; 
same  time  it  ain't  no  circus  parade,  and  we  want  to 
get  in  out  of  the  cold." 


246  KICK    DALE 

The  entire  population  of  the  camp,  including  the 
cook  and  his  assistants,  the  blacksmith  with  his 
helper,  and  the  stable-boys,  as  well  as  the  logging 
gang,  were  gathered,  full  of  curiosity  to  witness  the 
strange  arrival.  Besides  these  there  were  Linton,  the 
boss,  with  his  wife,  who  was  the  only  woman  in  that 
section  of  country.  Her  pity  was  instantly  aroused 
for  Bonny,  and  when  he  had  been  tenderly  placed  in 
Buck  Kanlet's  own  bunk,  she  insisted  on  being  allowed 
to  feed  and  care  for  him.  She  would  gladly  have 
done  the  same  for  Alaric,  but  he  protested  that  he 
was  perfectly  well  able  to  feed  himself,  and  was  only 
longing  for  the  chance. 

"Of  course  you  are,  lad  \"  cried  the  big  "faller," 
heartily, ' '  and  you  sha'n't  go  hungry  a  minute  longer. 
So  just  you  come  on  with  me  and  the  rest  of  the  gang 
over  to  Delmonico's." 

The  place  thus  designated  was  a  low  but  spacious 
building  of  logs,  containing  %the  camp  kitchen  and 
mess-room.  Ranlet  sat  at  the  head  of  the  long  table, 
built  of  hewn  cedar  slabs,  and  laden  with  smoking 
dishes.  Alaric  was  given  the  place  of  honor  at  his 
right  hand,  and  the  rest  of  the  rough,  hearty  crowd 
ranged  themselves  on  rude  benches  at  either  side. 

The  plates  and  bowls  were  of  tin  ;  the  knives,  forks, 
and  spoons  were  iron  ;  but  how  luxurious  it  all  seemed 
to  the  guest  of  the  occasion  !  How  wonderfully  good 
everything  tasted,  and  how  the  big  man  beside  him 
heaped  his  plate  with  pork  and  beans,  potatoes  swim- 
ming in  gravy,  boiled  cabbage,  fresh  bread  cut  in  slices 
two  inches  thick,  and  actually  butter  to  spread  on  it ! 
After  these  came  a  huge  pan  of  crullers  and  dozens 
of  dried-apple  pies. 

How  anxiously  the  men  watched  him  eat,  how  often 
they  pushed  the  tin  can  of  brown  sugar  towards  him 
to  make  sure  that  his  bowl  of  milkless  tea  should  be 


A   GANG   OF   FRIENDLY   LOGGERS  247 

sufficiently  sweetened,  and  how  pleased  they  were 
when  he  passed  his  plate  for  a  second  helping  of  pie  ! 

"  You'll  do,  lad  ;  you'll  do  I"  shouted  Buck  Ranlet, 
delighted  at  this  evidence  that  the  camp  cookery  was 
appreciated.  "You've  been  brought  up  right,  and 
taught  to  know  a  good  thing  when  you  see  it.  I  can 
tell  by  the  way  you  eat." 

After  supper  Alaric  was  conducted  to  a  blanket- 
covered  bench  near  the  big  fire  outside,  and  allowed 
to  relate  the  outline  of  his  story  to  an  audience  that 
listened  with  intense  interest,  and  then  he  was  put  to 
bed  beside  Bonny,  who  was  already  fast  asleep.  When 
Buck  Ranlet  picked  up  his  guest's  coat,  that  had 
fallen  to  the  floor,  and  a  baseball  rolled  from  one  of 
its  pockets,  the  big  logger  exclaimed,  softly  : 

"  Bless  the  lad  !  He's  a  genuine  out-and-out  boy, 
after  all !  To  think  of  his  travelling  through  the 
mountains  with  no  outfit  but  a  baseball !  If  that 
isn't  boy  all  over,  then  I  don't  know  !" 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
IN   A   NORTHWEST  LOGGING   CAMP 

THE  next  day  being  Sunday,  the  camp  lay  abed  so 
late  that  when  Alaric  awoke  from  his  long  night  of 
dreamless  sleep  the  snn  was  more  than  an  hour  high, 
and  streaming  full  into  the  open  doorway  of  Buck 
Ranlet's  shack.  For  nearly  a  minute  the  boy  lay 
motionless,  striving  to  recall  what  had  happened  and 
where  he  was.  Then,  as  it  all  came  to  him,  and  he 
realized  that  he  had  escaped  from  the  mountain,  with 
its  terrors,  its  cold,  and  its  hunger,  and  had  reached 
a  place  of  safety,  good-will,  and  plenty,  he  heaved  a 
deep  sigh  of  content.  His  sigh  was  echoed  by  another 
close  beside  him,  and  then  Bonny's  voice  said  : 

"I'm  so  glad  you  are  awake,  Kick,  for  I  want  you 
to  tell  me  all  about  it.  Fve  been  trying  to  puzzle  it 
out  for  myself,  but  can't  be  really  sure  whether  I 
know  anything  about  last  night  or  only  dreamed  it  all. 
Didn't  somebody  get  us  something  to  eat  ?" 

"I  should  say  they  did  I"  rejoined  Alaric.  "And 
not  only  something  to  eat,  but  one  of  the  finest  sup- 
pers I  ever  sat  down  to.  Don't  you  remember  the 
baked  beans,  and  the  apple-pie,  and—  Oh  no,  I  for- 
got ;  you  weren't  there  ;  and,  by-the-way,  how  do  you 
feel  this  morning  ?" 

"Fine  as  a  fiddle,"  replied  Bonny,  briskly;  "and 
all  ready  for  those  baked  beans  and  pie  ;  for  somehow 
I  don't  seem  to  remember  having  anything  so  good  as 
those." 


IK  A  NORTHWEST  LOGGIKG  CAMP  249 

"  I  don't  believe  you  did,"  laughed  Alaric,  spring- 
ing from  the  bunk  as  he  spoke  ;  "for  Fm  afraid  they 
only  gave  you  gruel  and  soup,  or  tea  and  toast." 

"  Then  no  wonder  Fm  hungry/'  said  Bonny,  indig- 
nantly, as  he  too  began  to  dress,  "and  no  wonder  I 
want  beans  and  things.  But,  I  say,  Eick,  what  a 
tough-looking  specimen  you  are,  anyway  \" 

"I  hope  Fm  not  so  tough-looking  as  you," retorted 
the  other,  "for  you'd  scare  a  scarecrow." 

Then  the  two  boys  scanned  each  other's  appearance 
with  dismay.  How  could  they  ever  venture  outside 
and  among  people  in  the  tattered,  soiled,  and  flutter- 
ing garments  which  were  their  sole  possessions  in  the 
way  of  clothing  ?  Even  their  boots  had  worn  away, 
until  there  was  little  left  of  them  but  the  uppers. 
Their  hats  had  been  lost  during  their  flight  through 
the  forest,  their  hair  was  long  and  unkempt,  while 
their  coats  and  trousers  were  so  rent  and  torn  that 
the  wonder  was  how  they  ever  held  together.  As 
they  realized  how  utterly  disreputable  they  did  look, 
both  boys  began  to  laugh ;  for  they  were  too  light- 
hearted  that  morning  to  remain  long  cast  down  over 
trifles  like  personal  appearance.  At  this  sound  of 
merriment  Buck  Kanlet's  good-humored  face,  covered 
with  lather,  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  at  sight  of 
the  ragged  lads  he  too  joined  in  their  laughter. 

"  You  are  tramps,  that's  a  fact!"  he  cried.  "  Tough- 
est kind,  too ;  such  as  Fd  never  dared  take  in  if  Fd 
seen  you  by  a  good  light.  Never  mind,  though,"  he 
added,  consolingly ;  "  looks  are  mighty  easy  altered, 
and  after  breakfast  we'll  fix  you  up  in  such  style  that 
you  won't  recognize  yourselves." 

Bonny  had  baked  beans  and  pie  that  morning  as 
well  as  Alaric,  for  the  fare  at  that  logger's  mess-table, 
bountiful  as  it  was,  never  varied.  After  breakfast 
the  boys  found  their  first  chance  to  take  a  good  look 


250  RICK   DALE 

at  the  camp,  which  consisted  of  nearly  twenty  build- 
ings, set  in  the  form  of  a  square  beside  the  skid-road, 
in  a  clearing  filled  with  tall  stumps  of  giant  firs  and 
mammoth  cedars.  The  two  largest  buildings  were 
the  combined  mess-hall  and  kitchen  and  the  sleep- 
ing-quarters, containing  tiers  of  bunks,  one  for  each 
man  employed.  Then  came  the  store,  which  held  a 
small  stock  of  clothing,  boots,  tobacco,  pipes,  knives, 
and  other  miscellaneous  articles.  Close  beside  it 
stood  Mr.  Linton's  house,  built  of  squared  logs. 
In  its  windows  both  curtains  and  a  few  potted 
plants  showed  that  here  dwelt  the  only  woman  of 
the  camp.  The  blacksmith-shop,  engine-house,  close 
beside  the  skid-road,  and  the  stables  beyond  completed 
the  list  of  the  company's  buildings.  All  the  others 
were  little  single-room  shacks,  built  in  leisure  mo- 
ments by  such  of  the  men  as  preferred  having  some- 
thing in  the  shape  of  a  house  to  sleeping  in  the  pub- 
lic dormitory. 

These  tiny  dwellings  were  constructed  of  sweet- 
smelling  cedar  boards,  split  from  splendid  great  logs, 
absolutely  straight  -  grained  and  free  from  knots. 
Walls,  roof,  floor,  and  rude  furniture  were  all  made 
of  the  same  beautiful  wood.  Some  of  the  shacks  had 
stone  chimneys  roughly  plastered  with  clay,  others 
boasted  small  porches,  and  one  or  two  had  both. 
Buck  Kanlet's  had  the  largest  porch  of  any,  with  the 
added  adornment  of  climbing  vines.  This  porch  also 
contained  seats,  and  was  considered  very  elegant ;  but 
every  one  knew  that  the  head  "  faller  "  was  engaged 
to  be  married  to  a  girl  "back  East,"  and  said  that  was 
the  reason  he  had  built  so  fine  a  house.  Having  little 
else  to  amuse  them,  the  men  who  put  up  these,  shacks 
labored  over  them  with  as  much  pleasure  as  so  many 
boys  with  their  cubby-houses. 

Many  of  the  men  were  anxious  to  hear  a  more  de- 


IN   A   NORTHWEST   LOGGING   CAMP  251 

tailed  account  of  our  lads7  recent  adventures,  but 
Buck  Ranlet  said : 

"Call  round  this  afternoon.  We've  got  something 
else  on  hand  just  now." 

When  they  returned  to  his  picturesque  little  dwell- 
ing the  big  man  led  the  way  inside,  closed  the  door, 
and  said : 

"  Now,  lads,  sit  down,  and  let 's  talk  business.  What 
do  you  propose  to  do  next  ?" 

"I  don't  think  we  know," responded  Alaric. 

"  Do  you  want  to  go  to  Tacoma  or  Seattle  ?" 

"I  don't  know  why  we  should.  We  haven't  anj 
friends  in  either  place,  nor  any  money  to  live  on  while 
we  look  for  work." 

"  None  at  all  ?" 

"Not  one  cent.  There's  a  month's  wages  due  us 
from  the  Frenchman  who  hired  us  to  go  up  the 
mountain,  but  I  suppose  he  has  left  this  part  of  the 
country  long  ago." 

"  I  suppose  he  has  ;  and  you  certainly  are  playing 
to  such  hard  luck  that  I  don't  see  as  you  can  do  any 
better  than  stay  right  here.  If  you  are  willing  to 
work  at  whatever  offers,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  the 
boss  could  find  something  for  you  to  do.  At  any 
rate,  he  might  give  you  a  chance  to  earn  a  suit  of 
clothes,  and  feed  you  while  you  were  doing  it." 

"  I  think  we'd  be  only  too  glad  to  stay  here  and 
work,"  replied  Alaric — "  wouldn't  we,  Bonny  ?'' 

"  Yes,  I  think  we  would,  only  I  hope  we  can  earn 
some  money.  I've  worked  without  wages  so  long  now 
that  it  is  growing  very  monotonous." 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what,"  said  Ranlet :  "  You  two 
stay  right  here  while  I  go  over  and  see  the  boss." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  big  man  returned  with 
beaming  face,  and  announced  that  Mr.  Linton  had 

consented  to  take  them  both  on  trial,  and  had  prom- 
17 


252  KICK   DALE 

ised  to  find  something  for  them  to  do  in  the  morning. 
Moreover,  they  were  to  go  down  to  the  store  at  once, 
pick  out  the  things  they  needed,  and  have  them 
charged  to  their  account. 

All  this  Buck  Ranlet  told  them ;  but  he  did  not  add 
that  he  had  been  obliged  to  pledge  his  own  wages  for 
whatever  bill  they  should  run  up  at  the  store,  in  case 
they  should  fail  to  work  it  out.  The  big-hearted 
"faller"  was  willing  to  do  this,  for  he  had  taken 
a  great  fancy  to  the  lads,  and  especially  to  Alaric. 
"  That  chap  may  be  poor,"  he  said,  "  and  I  reckon  he 
is ;  but  he's  honest — so  are  they  both,  for  that  mat- 
ter ;  and  when  a  boy  is  honest,  he  can't  help  showing 
it  in  his  face."  These  preliminaries  being  happily 
settled,  he  said,  "  Now  let's  get  right  down  to  busi- 
ness ;  and  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  let  me  cut 
your  hair  before  you  buy  any  hats." 

The  boys  agreeing  that  this  was  necessary,  the  oper- 
ation was  performed  with  neatness  and  despatch ;  for 
the  big  "faller"  was  equally  expert  at  cutting  hair  or 
trees. 

Then  they  went  to  the  store,  where  Alaric  and 
Bonny  selected  complete  outfits  of  coarse  but  ser- 
viceable clothing,  including  hats  and  boots,  to  the 
amount  of  fifteen  dollars  each. 

"  Now  for  a  scrub,"  suggested  Eanlet ;  "  and  I  reckon 
I  need  one  as  much  as  you  do."  With  this  he  led  his 
proteges  to  a  quiet  pool  in  the  creek  just  back  of  camp. 

When  at  noon  the  boys  presented  themselves  at  the 
mess-room  door,  so  magical  was  the  transformation 
effected  by  shears,  soap  and  water,  and  their  new 
clothing,  that  not  a  man  in  the  place  recognized  them, 
and  they  had  to  be  reintroduced  to  the  whole  jovial 
crowd,  greatly  to  Buck  Ranlet's  delight.  By  a  very 
natural  mistake  he  introduced  Alaric,  whom  he  had 
only  heard  called  "  Kick,"  as  Mr.  Richard  Dale,  and 


IN   A   NORTHWEST   LOGGING   CAMP  253 

the  boy  did  not  find  an  opportunity  for  correcting  the 
error  just  then. 

Later  in  the  day,  however,  when  most  of  the  camp 
population  were  gathered  in  front  of  Ranlet's  shack 
listening  with  great  interest  to  the  lads'  account  of 
their  recent  experiences,  one  of  them  addressed  him 
as  "  Richard,"  whereupon  he  explained  that  his  name 
was  not  Eichard,  but  Alaric. 

"  Alaric  ?"  quoth  Buck  Ranlet ;  "  that's  a  queer 
name,  and  one  I  never  heard  before.  It's  a  strong- 
sounding  name  too,  and  one  that  just  fits  such  a 
hearty,  active  young  fellow  as  you.  I  should  pick 
out  an  Alaric  every  time  for  the  kind  of  a  chap  to 
come  tumbling  down  a  mountain-side  where  no  one 
had  ever  been  before.  But  where  did  your  folks  find 
the  name,  son  ?" 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  replied  Alaric,  flushing  with  pleasure 
at  hearing  that  said  of  him  for  which  he  had  secretly 
longed  ever  since  he  could  remember ;  "  but  first  I 
want  to  say  that  it  was  Bonny  Brooks  who  showed 
me  how  to  come  down  the  mountain,  and  but  for  him 
I  should  certainly  have  perished  up  there  in  the 
snow." 

"  Hold  on  !"  cried  Bonny.  "  Gentlemen,  I  assure 
you  that  but  for  Rick  Dale  I  should  have  had  the 
perishing  contract  all  in  my  own  hands." 

"I  expect  you  are  a  well-mated  team,"  laughed 
Ranlet,  "and  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  for  what- 
ever comes  tumbling  down  a  mountain  there  couldn't 
be  a  better  name  than  Bonny  Brooks.  But  now  let's 
have  the  yarn." 

So  Alaric  told  them  all  he  could  remember  of  the 
mighty  Visigoth  who  invaded  Italy  at  the  head  of  his 
barbarian  host,  became  master  of  the  world  by  con- 
quering Rome  when  the  Eternal  City  was  at  the  height 
of  its  magnificence,  and  whose  tomb  was  built  in  the 


254  RICK    DALE 

bed  of  a  river  temporarily  turned  aside  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

The  rough  audience  grouped  about  him  listened  to 
the  tale  of  a  long-ago  hero  with  flattering  interest, 
and  when  it  was  ended  declared  it  to  be  a  rattling 
good  yarn,  at  the  same  time  begging  for  more  of  the 
same  kind.  Alaric's  head  was  crammed  with  such 
stories,  for  he  had  always  delighted  in  them,  and  now 
he  was  only  too  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  repay  in 
some  measure  the  kindly  hospitality  of  the  camp. 
So  for  an  hour  or  more  he  related  legends  of  Old 
World  history,  and  still  older  mythology,  all  of  which 
were  as  new  to  his  hearers  as  though  now  told  for  the 
first  time.  Finally  he  paused,  covered  with  confusion 
at  finding  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linton  standing  among  his 
auditors,  and  waiting  for  a  chance  to  invite  him  and 
Bonny  to  tea. 

I>om  that  time  forth  Alaric's  position  as  story- 
teller was  established,  and  there  was  rarely  an  even- 
ing during  his  stay  in  the  camp,  where  books  were 
almost  unknown,  that  he  was  not  called  upon  to  en- 
tertain an  interested  group  gathered  about  its  after- 
supper  open-air  fire. 

Mr.  Linton  questioned  the  boys  closely  as  to  their 
capacity  for  work  while  they  were  at  tea  with  him, 
and  finally  said :  "  I  think  I  can  find  places  for 
both  of  you,  if  you  are  willing  to  work  for  one  dol- 
lar a  day.  You,  Brooks,  I  shall  let  'tend  store  and 
help  me  with  my  accounts  until  your  arm  gets  stronger, 
while  I  think  I  shall  place  your  friend  in  charge  of 
one  of  the  hump-durgins." 

"  What  is  that,  sir  ?"  asked  Alaric. 

"What's  what?" 

"A  hump-durgin." 

"  Oh  !    Don't  you  know  ?    Well,  you'll  find  out  to- 


CHAPTER  XXXVH 
WHAT   IS   A   HUMP-DURGItf  ? 

WHEN  the  boys  returned  to  Buck  Ranlet's  shack, 
which  he  had  insisted  they  should  share  with  him 
until  they  could  build  one  of  their  own,  the  first  ques- 
tion Alaric  asked  was  in  regard  to  his  new  employ- 
ment. 

"  What  is  a  hump-durgin  ?" 

"  Ho,  ho  !  With  all  your  learning,  don't  you  know 
what  a  hump-durgin  is  ?  Well,  I  am  surprised,  for 
it's  one  of  the  commonest  things.  Still,  if  you  don't 
really  know,  I'll  tell  you.  A  genuine  hump-durgin 
is  a  sort  of  a  cross  betwixt  a  boat  and  a  mule." 

"  A  boat  and  a  mule  ?"  repeated  Alaric,  more  per- 
plexed than  ever. 

"  That's  what  I  said.  You  see,  it  is  something  like 
a  boat.  I  might  say  a  steamboat,  or  perhaps  a  canal- 
boat  would  be  more  like  it,  and  it  is  always  sailing  back 
and  forth.  It  often  rolls  and  pitches  like  it  was  in  a 
heavy  sea ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  lives  on  dry  land 
and  never  goes  near  the  water.  It  also  rears  and 
bucks,  and  jumps  from  side  to  side,  and  tries  its  best 
to  throw  its  rider,  same  as  a  mule  does,  and  it 
wouldn't  look  unlike  one  if  it  only  had  legs,  and  a  tail, 
and  ears,  and  hair,  and  a  bray." 

"  Humph  !"  interposed  Bonny,  who  had  been  an  in- 
terested listener  to  this  vague  description  of  a  hump- 
durgin.  "A  log  of  wood  might  look  like  a  mule  if 
it  had  all  those  things/' 


256  KICK  DALE 

"  Eight  you  are,  son  !  A  log  of  wood  might  look 
like  a  mule,  and  then  again  it  mightn't.  Same  time 
Pve  often  thought  that  some  hump-durgins  wasn't 
much  better  than  logs  of  wood,  after  all.  Anyway, 
now  that  I've  described  the  critter  so  that  you  know 
all  about  him,  you  can  see  why  the  boss  has  decided 
to  put  our  young  friend  here  in  charge  of  one/' 

"  I'm  sure  I  can't/'  said  Alaric,  more  puzzled  than 
ever. 

" '  Because  of  your  experience  with  both  mules  and 
boats,"  laughed  the  big  "faller"  teasingly,  and  that 
was  all  the  satisfaction  the  boys  could  get  from  him 
that  night. 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  the  occupants 
of  the  camp  scattered  to  their  respective  duties  :  the 
loggers  trudging  up  the  skid-road  and  deep  into  the 
forest,  there  to  resume  their  work  of  converting  trees 
into  logs  ;  the  loading-gang  going  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection, to  the  distant  railway  landing,  where  they 
would  spend  the  day  loading  logs  on  to  flat  cars  ;  the 
engineers  with  their  firemen  to  their  respective  en- 
gines ;  the  road-gang  up  to  the  head  of  a  side  gulch 
where  they  were  constructing  a  branch  skid-road ; 
the  blacksmiths  to  their  ringing  anvils ;  Bonny  to 
the  store,  where  he  was  to  take  an  account  of  stock ; 
and  Alaric,  in  company  with  the  man  whose  place  he 
was  to  fill,  after  receiving  from  him  half  a  day's  in- 
struction in  his  new  duties,  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  his  hump  -  durgin.  They  went  a  short  distance 
down  the  skid-road  to  where  one  of  the  relay  engines 
was  winding  in  a  half-mile  length  of  wire  cable  over 
a  big  steel  drum.  This  cable  stretched  its  shining 
length  up  the  gulch  and  out  of  sight  around  a  bend. 
Near  the  engine-house,  and  at  one  edge  of  the  skid- 
road,  was  a  little  siding,  or  dock,  protected  by  a  heavy 
sheer-skid.  In  it  lay  what  looked  like  a  log  canoe, 


WHAT  IS  A  HUMP-DURGIN  ?  257 

sharp  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  having  a  flat  bot- 
tom. 

"There,"  said  Alaric's  guide,  "  is  your  hump-dur- 
gin." 

"  That  thing  !"  exclaimed  the  lad,  gazing  at  the 
canoe-like  object  curiously.  "  But  I  thought  a  hump- 
durgin  went  by  steam  ?" 

"So  it  does/'  laughed  the  man,  "when  it  goes  at 
all.  Just  wait  a  minute,  and  you'll  see." 

Almost  as  he  spoke  there  came  a  sound  of  bump- 
ing and  sliding  from  up  the  skid-road,  and  directly 
afterwards  the  end  of  an  enormous  log  came  into 
sight  around  the  bend,  drawn  by  the  cable  the  engine 
was  winding  in.  As  this  log  rounded  the  bend  and 
came  directly  towards  them,  another  was  seen  to 
be  chained  to  it,  then  another,  and  another,  until  the 
"turn"  was  seen  to  contain  five  of  the  woody  mon- 
sters. Attached  to  the  rear  end  of  the  last  log  came 
another  hump-durgin,  in  which  a  man  was  seated, 
and  to  the  after  end  of  which  was  fastened  a  second 
wire  cable  that  stretched  away  for  half  a  mile  to  the 
next  engine  above. 

Every  log  was  made  fast  to  the  one  ahead  of  it  by 
two  short  chains,  each  of  which  was  armed  at  either 
end  with  a  heavy  steel  spur  having  a  sharp  point  and 
a  flat  head.  These  are  called  "  dogs,"  and,  driven 
deep  into  the  logs,  bind  them  together.  The  hump- 
durgin  was  also  attached  to  the  rear  log  by  a  chain 
and  "dog,"  and  one  of  the  principal  duties  of  a 
hump-durgin  man  is  to  see  that  none  of  these  dogs 
pulls  out. 

As  the  "turn"  of  logs  stopped  just  above  the  sta- 
tion, the  man  who  had  come  with  them  knocked  out 
his  hump-durgin  dog,  while  the  man  with  Alaric  dis- 
connected the  cable  that  had  drawn  the  logs  down  to 
that  point,  and  hooked  on  the  upper  end  of  another 


258  KICK  DALE 

that  stretched  away  out  of  sight  down  the  road.  Then 
he  waved  to  the  engineer,  who  telephoned  to  the  next 
station  down  the  line,  and  at  the  same  time  to  the 
one  above.  In  another  minnte  the  hump-durgin  that 
had  just  arrived  was  being  pulled  back  by  its  cable 
over  the  way  it  had  come,  and  the  "turn"  of  logs 
was  drawn  forward  by  the  new  cable  just  attached  to 
them.  When  the  rear  end  of  the  last  log  was  passing 
Alaric's  hump-durgin,  the  man  with  him  hammered 
its  "  dog  "  into  the  wood,  the  chain  straightened  with 
a  jerk,  and  the  novel  craft  was  under  way.  As  it 
started,  both  the  man  and  Alaric  jumped  in,  and 
away  they  went,  bumping  and  sliding  down  the  skid- 
road,  slewing  around  corners  that  were  protected  by 
sheer  -  skids,  and  dragging  behind  them  a  half-mile 
length  of  cable  attached  to  the  after  end  of  their  craft. 

In  this  way  they  were  dragged  half  a  mile  down 
the  gulch  to  a  second  engine  station,  where  a  new 
relay  of  cable  with  a  third  hump-durgin  awaited  the 
logs,  and  from  which  their  own  craft,  laden  with  the 
chains  and  dogs  just  brought  up  from  below,  was 
dragged  back  uphill  to  the  station  from  which  they 
had  started. 

Every  now  and  then  on  their  downward  trip  the 
man  jumped  from  the  hump  -  durgin,  and,  maul  in 
hand,  ran  along  the  whole  length  of  the  "  turn/'  giv- 
ing a  tap  here  and  there  to  the  "dogs"  to  make  sure 
that  none  of  them  was  working  loose.  As  the  cables 
were  only  speeded  to  about  four  miles  an  hour,  he 
could  readily  do  this ;  but  after  he  had  thus  examined 
one  side  he  had  to  wait  until  the  whole  turn  passed 
him,  and  then  run  ahead  to  examine  the  other.  Ala- 
ric asked  why  he  did  not  run  on  the  logs  themselves, 
and,  by  thus  examining  both  sides  at  the  same  time, 
save  half  his  work. 

"  Because  I  ain't  that  kind  of  a  fool,"  replied  the 


WHAT  IS  A   HUMP-DURGIN  ?  259 

man.  "  There  is  them  as  does  it ;  but  a  chap  has  to 
be  surer-footed  and  spryer  than  I  be  to  ride  the  logs, 
'specially  when  they're  slewing  round  corners.  I 
reckon,  though,  from  all  I  hear  of  you,  that  you'll  be 
jest  one  of  the  kind  to  try  it  on  ;  and  all  I  can  say  is, 
I  hope  you'll  be  let  off  light  when  it  comes  your  time 
to  be  flung.  Some  gets  killed,  and  others  only  comes 
nigh  it." 

The  hump-durgin  man  at  the  lower  relay  station 
followed  the  first  "  turn  "  of  logs  to  the  railway  land- 
ing, and  then  went  back  to  the  extreme  upper  end  of 
the  skid-road.  With  the  second  "  turn  "  Alaric  and 
his  instructor  did  the  same  thing.  The  next  man 
above  him  followed  the  third  "turn"  to  its  destina- 
tion, while  the  man  farthest  up  of  all  travelled  the 
whole  length  of  the  road  with  the  fourth  "turn," 
covering  its  two  miles  in  four  different  hump-dur- 
gins ;  and  at  length  Alaric  had  a  chance  to  do  the 
same  thing.  Thus  each  hump-durgin  driver  became 
familiar  with  every  section  of  the  road,  and  made  six 
round  trips  a  day. 

At  noon  of  that  first  day  Alaric's  instructor  in  the 
art  of  navigating  a  hump-durgin  bade  him  "  so  long," 
and  left  him  in  sole  command  of  the  clumsy  craft. 
The  man  had  no  sooner  gone  than  his  pupil  began 
practising  the  science  of  log-riding,  and  before  night  he 
had  triumphantly  ridden  the  whole  length  of  the  road 
mounted  on  the  backs  of  his  unwieldy  charges.  To  be 
sure,  he  sat  down  most  of  the  way,  and  was  thrown 
twice  when  attempting  to  walk  the  length  of  the 
"  turn  "  while  it  was  slewing  around  corners.  Fort- 
unately he  escaped  each  time  with  nothing  more  seri- 
ous than  a  few  bruises,  and  that  night  he  drove  a 
number  of  hobnails  into  the  soles  of  his  boots.  These 
afforded  him  so  good  a  hold  on  the  rough  bark  that 
he  was  never  again  flung,  and  within  a  week  had  be- 


260  RICK   DALE 

come  so  expert  a  log-rider  that  he  could  keep  his  feet 
over  the  worst  "  slews  "  on  the  road. 

The  hump-dnrgins  brought  up  many  things  from 
the  railway  landing  besides  chains  and  "dogs,"  for 
they  were  the  sole  conveyances  by  which  supplies  of 
any  kind  could  reach  the  camp.  It  often  happened 
that  they  carried  passengers  as  well,  and  in  this  re- 
spect running  a  hump-durgin  was,  as  Alaric  said, 
very  much  like  driving  a  stage-coach — a  thing  that  he 
had  always  longed  to  do. 

Bonny  was  so  envious  of  his  comrade's  job  that  on 
that  very  first  day  he  made  application  for  the  next 
hump-durgin  vacancy,  and  two  weeks  later  was  filled 
with  delight  at  receiving  the  coveted  appointment. 

By  the  time  that  both  our  lads  became  hump-dur- 
gin boys  they  were  living  in  their  own  shack,  which 
stood  just  beyond  Buck  Ranlet's,  and  which  nearly  ev- 
ery man  in  camp  had  helped  them  to  build.  So  proud 
were  they  of  this  tiny  dwelling  that  they  nearly  doubled 
their  bill  at  the  store  in  procuring  bedding  and  other 
furnishings  for  it. 

Although  thus  amply  provided  with  rude  comforts, 
or,  as  Bonny  expressed  it,  "surrounded  with  all  the 
luxuries  of  life,"  Alaric  fully  realized  that  it  would 
soon  be  time  to  exchange  this  mode  of  living  for  an- 
other. He  knew  that  he  owed  a  duty  to  his  father,  as 
well  as  to  the  station  of  life  into  which  he  had  been 
born  ;  and,  having  proved  to  his  own  satisfaction  that 
he  was  equally  strong  with  other  boys,  and  as  well  able 
to  fight  his  way  through  the  world,  he  was  more  than 
willing  to  return  to  his  own  home.  Now  that  he  felt 
competent  to  hold  his  own,  physically  as  well  as 
mentally,  with  others  of  his  age,  he  was  filled  with  a 
desire  to  go  to  college.  On  talking  the  matter  over 
with  Bonny  he  found  that  the  latter  cherished  similar 
aspirations,  the  only  difference  being  that  the  young 


WHAT  IS   A  HUMP-DURGIN  ?  261 

sailor's  longing  was  for  a  mechanical  rather  than  a 
classical  education.  "  Though,  of  course/'  said  Bonny, 
with  a  sigh, ' ( I  shall  always  have  to  take  it  out  in  wish- 
ing, for  I  shall  never  have  money  enough  to  carry  me 
through  a  school  of  any  kind,  or  at  least  not  until  I  am 
too  old  to  go." 

At  this  Alaric  only  smiled,  and  bade  his  comrade 
keep  on  hoping,  for  there  was  no  telling  when  some- 
thing might  turn  up.  As  he  said  this  he  made  up 
his  mind  that  if  ever  he  went  to  college  Bonny  should 
at  the  same  time  go  to  one  of  the  best  scientific  schools 
of  the  country. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
ALARIC   AND   BONNY   AGAIN  TAKE   TO   FLIGHT 

FOR  a  full  month  had  our  hnmp-dnrgin  boys  occu- 
pied the  little  cedar-built  shack,  which  now  seemed 
to  them  so  much  a  home  that  it  was  difficult  to  real- 
ize they  had  ever  known  any  other.  By  this  time,  too, 
they  were  exercising  a  very  decided  influence  upon 
the  character  of  the  camp  into  whose  life  they  had 
been  so  unexpectedly  thrown.  Light-hearted  Bonny, 
with  his  cheery  face  and  abounding  good-nature,  was 
as  full  of  amusing  pranks  as  a  young  colt,  and  from 
every  group  that  he  joined  shouts  of  merriment  were 
certain  to  arise  within  a  few  minutes.  Thus  Bonny 
was  very  popular  and  always  in  demand.  Nor  was 
Alaric  less  so,  for  he  could  tell  so  much  concerning 
strange  foreign  countries  and  relate  so  many  curious 
Old  World  tales,  that  there  was  rarely  an  evening  that 
he  was  not  called  upon  for  something  of  the  kind. 
He  so  often  said  that  most  of  his  stories  could  be 
found  in  certain  books,  related  a  thousand  times  bet- 
ter than  he  could  tell  them,  that  in  the  breasts  of  many 
of  his  hearers  he  aroused  a  real  longing  for  books,  and 
a  wider  knowledge  than  they  could  ever  acquire  with- 
out them. 

At  the  same  time  Alaric  was  not  only  appreciated 
for  what  he  knew,  but  for  what  he  could  do.  No  one 
in  camp  could  ride  a  "turn"  of  logs,  swaying,  bump- 
ing, and  sliding  down  the  skid-road,  with  such  perfect 
confidence  and  easy  grace  as  he.  Only  one  of  them 


ALAEIC  AND  BONNY  AGAIN  TAKE  TO   FLIGHT    263 

all  could  outrun  him,  and  none  could  catch  or  throw 
a  baseball  with  the  certainty  and  precision  that  he  ex- 
hibited, although  ever  since  Buck  Ranlet  discovered 
the  ball  in  his  young  guest's  coat-pocket  the  camp  had 
practised  with  it  during  all  odd  moments  of  daylight. 

So  our  lads  made  friends  with  and  knew  the  person- 
al history  of  every  occupant  of  the  camp  save  one,  and 
he  was  its  boss.  Since  the  night  on  which  they  had 
taken  tea  in  his  house  Mr.  Linton  had  hardly  spoken 
to  either  of  them  ;  nor  did  he  ever  join  with  the  men 
in  their  evening  gatherings  to  listen  to  Bonny's  jokes 
or  Alaric's  tales.  At  first  they  noticed  this,  and  won- 
dered what  reason  he  had  for  avoiding  them ;  but 
they  soon  learned  that  it  was  only  his  way,  and  that  he 
never  talked  with  any  of  the  men  except  on  matters 
of  business.  Buck  Ranlet  said  it  was  because  he  was 
a  deputy  United  States  marshal,  and  didn't  know 
when  he  might  be  called  on  to  arrest  any  one  of  them 
for  some  offence  against  the  government. 

With  all  their  present  popularity  the  boys  were 
growing  weary  of  the  monotonous  life  they  were  lead- 
ing, of  their  good-natured  but  rough  and  narrow- 
minded  associates,  and  of  the  deadly  sameness  of  the 
food  served  three  times  a  day  in  the  dingy  mess-room. 
They  also  dreaded  the  approaching  winter,  with  its 
days  and  weeks  of  rain,  during  which  the  work  of 
getting  out  logs  for  the  insatiable  mills  down  on  the 
Sound  must  keep  on  without  a  moment  of  interrup- 
tion. They  listened  with  dismay  to  tales  of  loggers 
who  had  not  known  the  feeling  of  dry  clothing  for 
weeks  at  a  time;  of  "turns"  of  logs  rushing  down 
skid-roads  slippery  with  wet,  like  roaring  avalanches 
of  timber,  threatening  destruction  to  everything  in 
their  course ;  and  of  long,  dreary  winter  evenings 
when  the  steady  downpour  forbade  camp-fires  and 
prevented  all  social  out-of-door  gatherings. 


264  KICK  DALE 

In  view  of  these  things,  Alaric  was  determined  that 
the  end  of  another  month,  or  such  time  as  his  wages 
should  be  paid,  should  see  him  on  his  way  to  San 
Francisco  and  home.  He  did  not  anticipate  any  diffi- 
culty in  persuading  Bonny  to  go  with  him,  for  that 
young  man  had  already  remarked  that  while  hump- 
durgin  riding  was  fun  up  to  a  certain  point,  he  should 
hate  to  do  it  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Oh  yes, 
Bonny  would  go,  of  course ;  and  Alaric's  only  fear 
was  that  his  father  might  not  take  a  fancy  to  the  lad, 
or  hold  the  same  views  regarding  his  future  that  he 
did.  Still,  that  was  a  matter  which  would  arrange 
itself  somehow,  if  they  could  only  reach  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  the  "  poor  rich  boy  "  now  began  to  long  as 
eagerly  for  the  time  to  come  when  he  might  return  to 
his  home  as  he  once  had  for  an  opportunity  to  leave 
it. 

One  day,  when  matters  stood  thus,  a  stranger,  past 
middle  age,  shabbily  dressed,  and  wearing  a  peculiarly 
dilapidated  hat,  appeared  at  the  railway  log-landing, 
and  asked  Bonny,  whose  hump-durgin  happened  to  be 
there  at  the  time,  permission  to  ride  with  him  to  the 
end  of  the  skid-road.  With  a  sympathetic  glance  at 
the  man's  forlorn  appearance,  Bonny  answered : 

"  Certainly,  sir ;  you  may  ride  with  me  all  day  if  you 
like,  and  I  shall  be  glad  of  your  company." 

Thanking  the  lad,  the  stranger  seated  himself  in  the 
hump-durgin ;  and  after  he  had  been  warned  to  hold 
on  tight  and  watch  out  for  "  slews,"  the  upward  jour- 
ney was  began.  At  one  of  the  upper  relay  stations 
they  waited  for  a  descending  "  turn  "  of  logs  to  pass 
them.  Here  the  stranger  visited  the  engine-house, 
and  while  he  was  talking  with  the  engineer  they  came 
in  sight.  Alaric,  who  happened  to  be  in  charge,  was 
at  that  moment  walking  easily  forward  along  the  backs 
of  the  swaying  logs,  presenting  as  fine  a  specimen  of 


ALABIC  AND  BONNY  AGAIN  TAKE  TO  FLIGHT    265 

youthful  agility,  strength,  and  perfect  health  as  one 
could  wish  to  encounter.  He  was  clad  in  jean  trou- 
sers tucked  into  boot-legs  and  belted  about  his  waist ; 
a  blue  flannel  shirt,  with  a  black  silk  kerchief  knotted 
at  the  throat,  and  a  black  slouch  hat. 

ee  Isn't  that  extremely  dangerous  ?"  asked  the  stran- 
ger, regarding  the  approaching  lad  with  a  curious  in- 
terest. 

"  Not  for  him  it  isn't,  though  it  might  be  for  some  ; 
but  Dick  Dale  is  so  level-headed  and  sure-footed  that 
there  isn't  his  equal  for  riding  logs  in  this  outfit,  nor, 
I  don't  believe,  in  any  other,"  answered  the  engineer. 

"  What  did  you  say  his  name  was  ?"  asked  the  stran- 
ger, with  his  gaze  still  fixed  on  Alaric. 

"  Dale — Richard  Dale,"  replied  the  engineer,  who 
had  never  happened  to  hear  the  boy's  real  name 
"Why  ?  Do  you  think  you  know  him  ?" 

"  No.  I  don't  know  any  one  of  that  name  ;  but  the 
lad's  resemblance  to  another  whom  I  used  to  know  is 
certainly  very  striking." 

"  Yes.  It's  funny  how  often  people  look  alike  who 
have  never  been  within  a  thousand  miles  of  each  oth- 
er," remarked  the  engineer,  carelessly,  as  he  stepped 
to  the  signal-box.  In  another  minute  Alaric  had 
passed  out  of  sight,  while  Bonny  and  the  stranger  had 
resumed  their  upward  journey. 

That  evening  Alaric  remarked  to  his  chum,  "  I  no- 
ticed you  had  a  passenger  to-day." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Bonny.  "  Seedy  -  looking  chap, 
wasn't  he ;  but  one  of  the  nicest  old  fellows  I  ever 
met.  Never  saw  any  one  take  such  an  interest  in 
everything.  I  suspected  what  he  was  after,  though, 
and  finally  we  got  so  friendly  that  I  asked  him  right 
out  if  he  wasn't  looking  for  work." 

"Was  he?" 

"  Yes.     He  hesitated  at  first,  and  looked  at  me  to 


366  KICK   DALE 

see  if  I  was  joking,  and  then  owned  up  that  he  was 
hunting  for  something  to  do.  I  felt  mighty  sorry  for 
him,  'cause  I  know  how  it  is  myself ;  but  I  had  to  tell 
him  there  wasn't  a  living  show  in  this  camp  just  now. 
He  seemed  mightily  taken  with  our  shack  here,  and 
said  he  once  had  a  house  just  like  it,  in  which  he 
passed  the  happiest  time  of  his  life,  but  he  was  afraid 
he'd  never  have  another.  I  invited  him  to  stay  with 
us  a  few  days  if  he  wanted  to — just  while  he  was  look- 
ing for  a  job,  you  knew — but  he  said  he  guessed  he'd 
better  go  on  to  some  other  camp.  You'd  been  will- 
ing, wouldn't  you  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Alaric.  f(  I've  already  been  in 
hard  luck  enough  to  be  mighty  glad  of  a  chance  to 
help  any  other  fellow  who's  in  the  same  fix,  especially 
an  old  man;  for  they  don't  have  half  the  show  that 
young  fellows  do." 

"  I  told  him  you'd  feel  that  way,"  exclaimed  Bonny, 
triumphantly ;  "  and  he  said  if  there  were  more  like 
us  in  the  world  it  would  be  a  happier  place  to  live  in, 
but  that  he  guessed  he'd  manage  to  scrape  along  some- 
how a  while  longer  without  becoming  a  burden  to 
others.  I  did  insist  on  his  taking  a  hat,  though." 

"A  hat?" 

"Yes.  "We  were  down  at  the  store,  and  he  was 
asking  the  price  of  things,  and  looking  around  so 
wistful  that  I  couldn't  help  getting  him  a  new  hat 
and  having  it  charged ;  for  the  one  he  wore  wasn't 
any  good  at  all.  He  hated  to  take  it,  but  I  insisted, 
and  finally  he  said  he  would  if  I'd  keep  his  old  one 
and  let  him  redeem  it  some  time.  Of  course  I  said  I 
would,  just  to  satisfy  him,  and  here  it  is." 

Alaric  looked  carelessly  at  the  dilapidated  hat  as  he 
said  :  "  It  was  a  first-class  thing  to  do,  Bonny,  and  I 
only  wish  I  had  been  here  to  give  him  something  at 
the  same  time.  But,  hello !  this  is  a  Paris  hat,  and 


ALABIC  AKD  BOHKY  AGAIH  TAKE  TO  FLIGHT    267 

hasn't  been  worn  very  long,  either.  I  wonder  how  he 
ever  got  hold  of  it  ?  Never  mind,  though ;  hang  it 
up  for  luck,  and  to  remind  me  to  do  something  for 
the  next  poor  chap  who  comes  along.  By-the-way,  I 
heard  to-day  that  the  president  of  the  company  was  in 
Tacoma,  on  his  way  to  make  an  inspection  of  all  the 
camps." 

"Yes,"  replied  Bonny.  "  They  say  he  is  an  awful 
swell,  too,  and  I  heard  that  he  was  coming  in  his 
private  car.  I  only  hope  he  is,  and  that  I  can  get  a 
chance  to  look  at  it,  for  I  have  never  seen  a  private 
car.  Have  you  ?" 

"  One  or  two,"  answered  Alaric,  with  a  smile. 

At  noon  of  the  following  day,  while  a  fifteen-minute 
game  of  baseball  was  in  progress  after  dinner,  the 
boss  of  Camp  No.  10  received  a  note  from  the  presi- 
dent of  the  company,  requesting  him  to  report  im- 
mediately in  person  at  Tacoma,  and  bring  with  him 
the  two  hump-durgin  boys  Dale  and  Brooks. 

Mr.  Linton,  being  a  man  who  kept  his  own  business 
to  himself  as  much  as  possible,  merely  called  our  lads 
and  bade  them  follow  him.  Of  course  this  order 
broke  up  the  game  they  were  playing,  and  as  they 
hastened  after  the  boss,  Bonny,  in  whose  hands  the 
baseball  happened  to  be,  thrust  it  into  one  of  his 
pockets.  Although  curious  to  know  why  they  were 
thus  summoned,  the  boys  learned  nothing  from  Mr. 
Linton  until  they  reached  the  railway  log-landing, 
when  he  told  them  that  they  were  wanted  in  Tacoma, 
and  that  he  was  instructed  to  bring  them  there  at 
once. 

From  the  landing  they  proceeded  by  hand-car  to 
Cascade  Junction,  where  they  boarded  a  west-bound 
passenger  train  over  the  Northern  Pacific.  Even  now 
Mr.  Linton  was  not  communicative,  and  after  sitting 
awhile  in  silence  he  went  forward  into  the  smoking- 

18 


268  RICK    DALE 

car,  leaving  the  boys  in  the  passenger  coach  next  be- 
hind it.  Now  they  began  to  discuss  their  situation, 
and  the  more  they  considered  it  the  more  apprehen- 
sive they  became  that  something  unpleasant  was  in 
store  for  them. 

"He's  a  United  States  marshal,  remember,"  said 
Bonny. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Alaric  ;  "  Fve  been  thinking  of  that. 
Do  you  suppose  it  can  have  anything  to  do  with  that 
smuggling  business  ?" 

"I'm  awfully  afraid  so,"  replied  Bonny.  "Great 
Scott !  Look  there  !" 

The  train  was  just  leaving  Meeker,  where  a  passen- 
ger had  boarded  their  car,  and  was  now  walking  lei- 
surely through  it  towards  the  smoker.  It  was  he  who 
had  attracted  Bonny's  attention,  and  at  whom  he  now 
pointed  a  trembling  finger. 

Alaric  instantly  recognized  the  man  as  an  officer  of 
the  revenue-cutter  that  had  so  persistently  chased 
them  in  the  early  summer.  Without  a  word,  he  left 
his  seat  and  followed  the  new-comer  to  the  smoking- 
car,  where  a  single  glance  through  the  open  door  con- 
firmed his  worst  suspicions. 

The  officer  had  seated  himself  beside  Mr.  Linton, 
and  they  were  talking  with  great  earnestness. 

"They  are  surely  after  us  again,"  Alaric  said,  in  a 
whisper,  as  he  regained  his  seat  beside  Bonny ;  "  but 
I  don't  intend  to  be  captured  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  Same  here,"  replied  Bonny. 

Thus  it  happened  that  when,  a  little  later,  the  train 
reached  Tacoma,  and  Mr.  Linton  returned  to  look  for 
his  lads,  they  were  nowhere  to  be  found. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
BONNY   DISCOVERS   HIS   FRIEND  THE  TRAMP 

IT  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  train  reached 
Tacoma,  and  the  logging  boss  discovered  that  the  lads 
whom  he  had  been  especially  instructed  to  bring  with 
him  had  disappeared.  As  he  conld  not  imagine  any 
reason  why  they  should  do  such  a  thing,  he  was  thor- 
oughly bewildered,  and  waited  about  the  station  for 
some  minutes,  expecting  them  to  turn  up.  He  in- 
quired of  the  train  hands  and  other  employes  if 
they  had  seen  anything  of  such  boys  as  he  described, 
but  could  gain  no  information  concerning  them. 

The  revenue-officer  was  merely  an  acquaintance 
whom  he  had  met  by  chance  on  the  train,  and  who 
now  waited  a  few  minutes  to  see  how  this  affair  would 
turn  out.  Finally  he  said  : 

"Well,  Lint  on,  I'm  sorry  I  can't  help  you,  but  I 
really  must  be  getting  along.  I  hope,  though,  you 
won't  have  any  such  trouble  with  your  missing  lads 
as  we  had  in  trying  to  catch  two  young  rascals  of 
smugglers,  whom  we  lost  right  here  in  Tacoma  last 
summer.  We  wanted  them  as  witnesses,  and  thought 
we  had  our  hands  on  them  half  a  dozen  times ;  but 
they  finally  gave  us  the  slip,  and  the  case  in  which 
they  were  expected  to  testify  was  dismissed  for  want 
of  evidence.  Good-bye." 

Thus  left  to  his  own  devices,  the  boss  could  think 
of  nothing  better  than  to  call  upon  the  police  to  aid 
him  in  recovering  the  missing  boys,  and  so  powerful 


270  RICK   DALE 

was  the  name  of  the  President  of  the  Northwest  Lum- 
ber Company,  which  he  did  not  hesitate  to  use,  that 
within  an  hour  every  policeman  in  Tacoma  was  pro- 
vided with  their  description,  and  instructed  to  cap- 
ture them  if  possible.  In  the  hope  that  they  would 
speedily  succeed  in  so  doing,  Mr.  Linton  delayed 
meeting  the  president,  and  telegraphed  that  he  could 
not  reach  the  hotel  to  which  he  had  been  directed  to 
bring  the  boys  before  eight  o'clock  that  evening. 

In  the  meantime  Alaric  and  Bonny,  without  an 
idea  of  the  stir  their  disappearance  had  created 
throughout  the  city,  were  snugly  ensconced  in  an 
empty  freight-car  that  stood  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  railway  station.  They  had  dropped  from  the 
rear  end  of  their  train  when  it  began  to  slow  down, 
and  slipped  into  the  freight-car  as  a  place  of  tempo- 
rary concealment  while  they  discussed  plans. 

"We've  got  to  get  out  of  this  town  in  a  hurry, 
that's  certain,"  said  Alaric,  "and  I  propose  that  we 
make  a  start  for  San  Francisco.  You  know,  I  told 
you  .that  was  my  home,  and  I  still  have  some  friends 
there,  who,  I  believe,  will  help  us.  The  only  thing  is 
that  I  don't  see  how  we  can  travel  so  far  without  any 
money." 

"That's  easy  enough,"  replied  Bonny,  "and  I  would 
guarantee  to  land  you  there  in  good  shape  inside  of  a 
week.  What  worries  me,  though,  is  the  idea  of  going 
off  and  leaving  all  the  money  that  is  due  us  here. 
Just  think!  there's  thirty  dollars  owing  to  me  as  a 
hump-durgin  driver,  thirty  more  as  interpreter,  and 
fully  as  much  as  that  for  being  a  smuggler  —  nearly 
one  hundred  dollars  in  all.  That's  a  terrible  lot  of 
money,  Kick  Dale,  and  you  know  it  as  well  as  I  do." 

"Yes,"  replied  Alaric;  "if  we  had  it  now,  we'd 
be  all  right.  But  I'll  tell  you,  Bonny,  what  I'll  do. 
If  you  will  get  me  to  San  Francisco  inside  of  a  week, 


BONNY  DISCOVERS  HIS   FRIEND  THE  TRAMP    271 

I  promise  that  yon  shall  have  one  hundred  dollars  the 
day  we  arrive." 

"  III  do  it  I"  cried  Bonny.  "  I  know  you  are  joking, 
of  course,  but  I'll  do  it  just  to  see  how  you'll  manage 
to  crawl  out  of  your  bargain  when  we  get  there.  You 
mustn't  expect  to  travel  in  a  private  car,  though,  with 
a  French  cook,  and  three  square  meals  a  day  thrown 
in." 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  laughed  Alaric,  "for  I  never  travelled 
any  other  way." 

"  No,  I  know  you  haven't,  any  more'n  I  have ;  but, 
just  for  a  change,  I  think  we'd  better  try  freight-cars, 
riding  on  trucks,  and  perhaps  once  in  a  while  in  a 
caboose,  for  this  trip,  with  meals  whenever  we  can  catch 
'em.  We'll  get  there,  though ;  I  promise  you  that. 
Hello  !  I  mustn't  lose  that  ball.  We  may  want  to  have 
a  game  on  the  road." 

This  last  remark  was  called  forth  by  Alaric's  base- 
ball which,  becoming  uncomfortably  bulgy  in  Bonny's 
pocket  as  he  sat  on  the  car  floor,  he  had  taken  out, 
and  had  been  tossing  from  hand  to  hand  as  he  talked. 
At  length  it  slipped  from  him,  rolled  across  the  car, 
and  out  of  the  open  door. 

Bonny  sprang  after  it,  tossed  it  in  to  Alaric,  and 
was  about  to  clamber  back  into  the  car,  when,  through 
the  gathering  gloom,  he  spied  a  familiar  figure  stand- 
ing in  the  glare  of  one  of  the  station  lights. 

"Wait  here  a  few  minutes,  Rick,"  he  said,  "while 
I  go  and  find  out  when  our  train  starts." 

With  this  he  darted  up  the  track,  and  a  moment 
later  advanced,  with  a  smile  of  recognition  and  ex- 
tended hand,  towards  the  stranger  whom  he  had 
so  pitied  in  the  logging  camp  the  day  before.  The 
man  still  wore  a  shabby  suit  and  the  hat  Bonny  had 
given  him.  He  started  at  sight  of  the  lad,  and  ex- 
claimed : 


272  RICK   DALE 

"  How  came  you  here  so  soon  ?  I  thought  you 
weren't  due  until  eight  o'clock." 

"  How  did  you  know  we  were  coming  at  all  ?" 
asked  Bonny,  in  amazement. 

"  Oh,  that's  a  secret,"  laughed  the  other,  instantly 
recovering  his  self-possession,  and  assuming  his  man- 
ner of  the  day  before.  "  We  tramps  have  a  way  of  find- 
ing out  things,  you  know." 

"Yes,  I've  always  heard  so,"  replied  Bonny,  "and 
that's  one  reason  why  I'm  so  glad  to  meet  you  again. 
I  thought  maybe  you  could  help  us." 

"  Us  ?"  repeated  the  stranger.    "  Who  is  with  you  ?" 

"Only  my  chum,  the  other  hump-durgin  driver, 
you  know." 

"You  mean  Richard  Dale  ?" 

"Yes — only  his  name  isn't  Richard,  but  Alaric.  I 
say,  though,  would  you  mind  stepping  over  in  the 
shadow,  where  we  won't  be  interrupted  ?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  the  other,  with  a  quiet 
chuckle.  "I  expect  it  will  be  better,  for  I'm  not 
anxious  to  be  recognized  myself  just  now." 

When  they  had  reached  what  Bonny  considered  a 
safe  place,  he  continued  : 

' ( You  see,  it's  this  way.  My  chum  and  I  did  a 
little  business  in  the  smuggling  line  last  summer,  and 
got  chased  for  it  by  the  '  beaks.'  'j 

"Just  like  'em,"  growled  the  other. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bonny,  wrathfully.  "  We  hadn't  really 
done  anything  wrong,  you  kflow  ;  but  they  made  us 
skip  'round  lively,  and  came  mighty  near  catching  us, 
too.  We  gave  'em  the  slip,  though,  and  thought  the 
whole  thing  had  blown  over,  till  to-day,  when  they 
got  after  us  again." 

"Who  did?" 

"The  revenue  fellows.  You  see,  the  boss  up  at 
camp  is  one  of  'em,  and  we  suspicioned  something 


BONNY    DISCOVERS  HIS   FRIEND   THE  TRAMP     273 

was  wrong  as  soon  as  he  told  us  we  were  wanted  in 
Tacoma.  We  were  certain  of  it  when  we  saw  another 
revenue  man,  one  of  the  cutter's  officers,  join  him  on 
the  train,  and  so  we  just  gave  them  the  slip  again, 
and  have  been  hiding  ever  since  over  in  that  freight- 
car." 

"Indeed!"  remarked  the  stranger,  interestedly. 
"  And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  next  ?" 

"  That's  what  I'm  coming  to,  and  what  we  want 
you  to  help  us  about.  You  see,  my  chum's  folks  live 
in  San  Francisco,  and  I  rather  think  he  ran  away  from 
'em,  though  he  hasn't  ever  said  so.  Anyhow,  he  wants 
to  get  back  there,  and  as  we  haven't  any  money,  we've 
got  to  beat  our  way,  so  I  thought  maybe  you  could 
put  us  up  to  the  racket,  or,  at  any  rate,  tell  us  when 
the  first  south-bound  freight  would  pull  out.  Of 
course,  you  understand,  we've  got  to  start  as  quick 
as  we  can,  for  it  isn't  safe  for  us  to  be  seen  around 
here." 

"  Of  course  not,"  agreed  the  stranger,  with  another 
chuckle ;  for  the  whole  affair  seemed  to  amuse  him 
greatly.  "But  what  are  you  going  to  do  for  food  ? 
You'll  be  apt  to  get  hungry  before  long." 

"I  am  already,"  acknowledged  Bonny,  "and  that 
was  another  thing  I  was  going  to  ask  you  about.  I 
thought  maybe  you  wouldn't  mind  giving  us  some 
pointers  from  your  own  experience  in  picking  up  your 
three  little  square  meals  a  day  when  you  are  on  the 
road." 

At  this  point  the  stranger  burst  into  what  began 
like  uncontrollable  laughter,  but  which  proved  to  be 
only  a  severe  fit  of  coughing.  When  it  was  over,  he 
said  :  ' ( Your  name  is  Bonny  Brooks,  isn't  it  ?" 

"Yes;  but  don't  speak  so  loud." 

"  All  right,  I  won't.  But,  Bonny  Brooks,  you  were 
mighty  kind  to  me  yesterday — kinder  than  any  one 


274  KICK  DALE 

else  has  been  for  a  long  time.  By-the-way,  did  you 
bring  my  old  hat  with  you  ?" 

"  No,  of  course  not." 

' '  No  matter.  I  said  I  would  redeem  it,  and  I  am 
going  to  do  so  by  putting  you  on  to  a  mighty  soft 
snap.  Fm  bound  to  the  southward  myself,  and,  as  it 
happens,  there  is  a  sort  of  boarding-car  going  to  pull 
out  of  here  for  somewhere  down  the  line  in  about 
half  an  hour.  It  is  in  charge  of  the  cook,  and  as  he 
and  I  are  on  what  you  might  call  extra  good  terms,  he 
is  going  to  let  me  ride  with  him  as  far  as  he  goes. 
There  won't  be  a  soul  on  board  but  him  and  me,  un- 
less I  can  persuade  him  to  let  you  two  boys  come 
along  with  us.  I  am  pretty  sure  I  can,  though,  for  he 
is  under  several  obligations  to  me,  and  if  you'll  prom- 
ise to  stay  quietly  in  this  freight-car  until  I  come  for 
you,  I'll  go  this  minute  and  see  him.  What  do  you 
say?" 

"I  say  you  are  a  trump,  and  if  you'll  only  work 
that  racket  for  us,  I'll  share  half  the  money  with  you 
that  I'm  to  get  from  Rick  as  soon  as  we  reach  San 
Francisco." 

"  Oh  ho  !    He  is  to  give  you  money,  is  he  ?" 

"  Yes ;  that  is,  he  has  promised  me  one  hundred 
dollars  to  make  up  for  the  wages  I  leave  behind,  if  I'll 
only  get  him  there.  Of  course  that's  all  his  joke, 
though,  for  he  is  just  as  poor  as  I  am." 

So  Bonny  clambered  back  into  the  car  where  he 
told  Eick  of  the  fine  arrangement  he  had  just  made  ; 
while  for  the  next  half-hour  that  shabbily  attired 
stranger  was  the  busiest  man  in  Tacoma,  and  kept 
a  great  many  other  people  busy  at  the  same  time. 
Finally,  just  as  the  boys  were  beginning  to  think  he 
had  forgotten  them,  he  appeared  at  the  door  of  the 
freight-car,  and  said,  in  a  loud  whisper :  "  Come, 
quick.  I  think  they  are  after  you." 


BOtfKY  DISCOVERS  HIS  FRIEND  THE  TRAMP     275 

As  they  scrambled  out,  he  started  on  a  run  towards 
a  single  car  that,  with  an  engine  attached,  stood  on 
a  siding  in  the  darkest  corner  of  the  railroad  yard. 
Here  he  hurriedly  whispered  to  the  boys  to  crouch 
low  on  its  rear  platform  until  it  started,  when  the 
cook  would  open  the  door.  Then  he  disappeared. 

In  another  minute  the  car  began  to  move,  and 
directly  afterwards  its  door  was  opened.  There 
seemed  to  be  no  light  in  the  interior,  and,  without  see- 
ing any  one,  the  boys  heard  a  strange  voice,  evidently 
that  of  a  negro,  bidding  them  come  in  out  of  the 
cold. 

They  entered  the  car,  Alaric  going  first,  and  were 
led  through  a  narrow  passage  into  what  was  evidently 
a  large  compartment.  They  heard  their  guide  re- 
treating through  the  passage,  and  were  beginning  to 
feel  rather  uneasy,  when  suddenly  they  were  sur- 
rounded and  dazzled  by  a  great  flood  of  electric  light. 


CHAPTER  XL 
A   FLOOD   OF   LIGHT 

As  the  brilliant  light  flooded  the  place  where  the 
boys  stood,  they  were  for  a  minute  blinded  by  its  ra- 
diance. Bonny  was  bewildered  and  frightened,  and 
even  Alaric  was  greatly  startled.  Gradually,  as  their 
eyes  grew  accustomed  to  the  brightness,  they  became 
aware  of  a  single  figure  standing  before  them,  and  re- 
garding them  curiously.  Alaric  looked,  rubbed  his 
eyes,  and  looked  again.  Then  he  sprang  forward  with 
a  great  shout. 

"  Dad  !  you  dear  old  dad  !  I  never  was  so  glad  to 
see  any  one  in  my  life  !" 

"Rick!  you  young  rascal!"  cried  Amos  Todd. 
6 ( How  could  you  play  your  old  father  such  a  trick  ? 
Never  mind,  though ;  you've  won  your  game,  and  at 
the  same  time  made  me  the  very  happiest  and  proud- 
est man  on  the  coast  this  night.  Stand  there,  sir,  and 
let  me  have  a  good  look  at  you." 

With  this  the  proud  father  held  his  stalwart  son  off 
at  arm's-length  and  gazed  at  him  with  loving  admira- 
tion. 

"  The  very  neatest  trick  I  ever  heard  of — the  most 
impudent,  and  the  most  successful,"  he  murmured. 
"  But  don't  you  ever  be  guilty  of  such  a  thing  again, 
you  young  smuggler." 

"Indeed  I  won't,  dad,  for  I  know  I  shall  never 
have  any  reason  or  desire  to  repeat  it,"  replied  Alaric, 
promptly,  his  voice  trembling  with  joyful  excitement. 


A   FLOOD   OF   LIGHT  277 

"  But,  dad,  yon  mustn't  forget  Bonny ;  for  whatever 
I  have  gained  or  learned  this  past  summer  I  owe  to 
him." 

"  God  bless  the  lad  !  Indeed  I  will  never  forget 
what  he  has  done  both  for  you  and  for  me,"  cried 
Amos  Todd,  stepping  forward  and  seizing  Bonny's 
hand  in  a  grasp  that  made  him  wince. 

Poor  bewildered  Bonny,  standing  amid  the  glit- 
ter of  silver  and  plate-glass,  surrounded  by  furnish- 
ings of  such  luxurious  character  as  he  had  never 
imagined  could  exist  in  real  life,  vaguely  wondered 
whether  he  were  under  the  spell  of  some  beautiful 
enchantment  or  merely  dreaming.  There  must  be 
some  reality  to  it  all,  though,  for  the  stranger  in  the 
shabby  garments,  whom  he  had  befriended  only  the 
day  before,  and  still  wearing  the  same  hat  he  had 
given  him,  was  surely  holding  his  hand  and  saying 
very  pleasant  things.  But  who  could  he  be  ?  He 
certainly  was  not  acting  like  a  tramp,  or  one  who  was 
greatly  in  need  of  charity. 

Alaric  came  to  the  puzzled  lad's  relief.  "He  is 
my  father,  Mr.  Amos  Todd,"  he  cried.  "And,  Bonny, 
you  will  forgive  me,  won't  you,  for  not  telling  you 
before  ?  You  see,  I  was  afraid  to  let  even  you  know 
that  I  was  the  son  of  a  rich  man,  because  I  wanted 
you  to  like  me  for  myself  alone." 

"  You  know  I  do,  Rick  Dale  !  You  know  I  do  !" 
exclaimed  Bonny,  impulsively,  finding  his  voice  at 
last.  "  But,  Bick,"  he  added,  almost  in  a  whisper, 
"  are  you  sure  there  isn't  any  mistake  about  it  all  ? 
Amos  Todd,  you  know,  is  President  of  the  Northwest 
Company,  and  the  richest  man  on  the  coast.  They 
do  say  he's  a  millionaire." 

"It's  all  right,  Bonny.  I  expect  he  is  a  million- 
aire," answered  Alaric,  joyously.  "  But  we  won't  lay 
it  up  against  him,  will  we  ?  And  we'll  try  not  to 


278  RICK  DALE 

think  any  the  less  of  him  for  it.  I  didn't  know  he 
was  President  of  the  Northwest  Company,  though. 
Are  you,  dad  ?" 

"I  believe  I  am,"  laughed  Amos  Todd.  "And  I 
certainly  have  cause  to  be  grateful  that  I  hold  the 
office,  for  it  was  while  making  my  official  inspection 
of  the  camps  yesterday  that  I  ran  across  you  boys.  I 
didn't  know  you,  though,  Kick — 'pon  my  word,  I 
didn't.  You  bore  a  faint  resemblance  to  my  little 
'  Allie'  as  you  came  riding  those  logs  down  the  skid- 
road,  but  I  knew  you  couldn't  be  he,  for  I  was  certain 
that  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  world  by  this 
time.  And  so  you  shook  the  Sonntaggs,  and  let  them 
run  away  from  you.  It  was  wrong,  Rick,  very  wrong, 
but  I  don't  blame  you — not  one  bit,  I  don't.  I'd  have 
done  the  same  thing  myself." 

"  But,  dad,  how  did  you  come  to  find  me  out  ?  I 
don't  understand  it  at  all." 

"  By  your  own  letter  to  Esther,  lad.  She  forwarded 
it  to  me  in  France ;  but  I  had  gone  when  it  reached  there, 
and  so  it  was  sent  to  San  Francisco.  I  left  Margaret 
on  the  other  side  for  the  winter,  and  came  back  by 
way  of  Montreal  and  the  Canadian  Pacific,  intending 
to  stop  here  and  inspect  the  lumber  camps  on  my  way 
home.  I  telegraphed  John  to  send  this  car  and  all 
my  mail  up  here,  and  they  came  last  night.  As  soon 
as  I  read  your  letter  I  felt  pretty  certain  that  it  was 
you  whom  I  had  seen  doing  the  circus  act  on  those 
logs.  I  wasn't  quite  sure,  though,  and  didn't  want  to 
make  any  mistake,  so  I  just  sent  word  to  Linton  to 
fetch  you  in,  that  I  might  take  a  good  look  at  you." 

"  So  it  was  you  who  sent  for  us  ?" 

"  Certainly.  And  you  thought  it  was  the  revenue- 
officers,  and  so  decided  to  give  'em  the  slip,  and  beat 
your  way  home  to  claim  protection  of  your  old  dad — 
eh,  you  rascal  ?  And  Bonny  here  took  me  for  a  fellow- 


A  FLOOD   OF   LIGHT  279 

tramp  who  could  put  him  on  to  the  racket.  Ha,  ha, 
ha  !  Ho,  ho,  ho  !  Oh  my  !  I  shall  die  of  laughing 
yet  at  thinking  of  it.  It  was  all  the  hat,  though, 
wasn't  it,  Bonny  ?  I  hated  to  cut  it  up,  for  I  only 
bought  it  in  Paris  the  other  day,  and  hadn't  another 
with  me ;  but  I  wanted  to  inspect  the  camp  without 
being  known,  and  it  was  the  only  disguise  I  could 
think  of.  But,  boys,  what  do  you  say  to  supper  ?  If 
you  are  as  hungry  as  I  am  you  must  be  more  than 
ready  for  it." 

Indeed,  they  were  ready  for  supper,  and  when  they 
sat  down  to  that  daintily  served  meal,  in  the  exqui- 
sitely appointed  dining-room  of  President  Todd's  own 
private  car,  Bonny  at  last  understood  why  Alaric  had 
ordered  that  strange  lot  of  supplies  for  the  sloop 
Fancy. 

After  supper  they  returned  to  the  saloon,  where 
Amos  Todd  lighted  a  cigar,  and  listened  to  the  wonder- 
ful story  of  trial  and  triumph,  privation  and  strange  vi- 
cissitude, that  had  transformed  his  pale-faced  weakling 
into  the  strong,  handsome,  self-reliant  youth  upon 
whom  he  now  gazed  so  proudly.  When  the  long  story 
was  ended,  he  asked,  quietly : 

"How  much  have  you  earned  by  your  summer's 
work,  son ;  and  what  have  you  to  show  for  it  ?" 

"  If  you  mean  in  money,  dad,  not  one  cent ;  and  all 
I  have  to  show,  besides  what  you've  already  noticed, 
is  this."  Here  Alaric  held  out  a  dilapidated  baseball, 
at  which  his  father  gazed  curiously.  "  With  that  ball," 
continued  Alaric,  "  I  took  my  first  lesson  in  being  a 
boy,  and  it  has  led  me  on  from  one  thing  to  another 
ever  since  until,  finally,  this  very  evening,  it  brought 
me  back  to  you.  So,  dad,  I  should  say  that  it  stood 
for  my  whole  summer's  work." 

"I  am  thankful,  Rick,  that  you  haven't  earned  any 
money,  and  that  through  bitter  want  of  it  you  have 


280  RICK  DALE 

learned  its  value,"  said  Amos  Todd.  "I  am  thank- 
ful, too,  that  there  is  still  one  thing  for  which  you 
have  to  come  to  your  old  dad.  More  than  all  am  I 
thankful  for  what  you  have  gained  without  his  help, 
or,  rather,  in  spite  of  him;  and  had  I  known  last  spring 
what  that  baseball  was  to  do  for  you,  I  would  gladly 
have  paid  a  million  of  dollars  for  it." 

"  You  may  have  it  now,  dad,  for  one  hundred,  which 
is  just  the  amount  I  owe  Bonny." 

' '  Done  !"  cried  Amos  Todd  ;  and  thus  he  came  into 
possession  of  the  well-worn  baseball  that,  set  in  a 
plate  of  silver  and  enclosed  in  a  superb  frame,  soon 
afterwards  hung  above  his  private  desk  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Here  our  story  properly  ends,  but  we  cannot  help 
telling  of  two  or  three  things  that  happened  soon 
after  the  disappearance  of  our  hump-durgin  boys  from 
Camp  No.  10,  and  as  a  direct  result  of  their  having 
lived  there.  To  begin  with,  Mr.  Linton  felt  himself 
so  insulted  by  the  manner  in  which  President  Todd 
made  his  inspection  that  he  resigned  his  position, 
and,  on  the  recommendation  of  Alaric,  Buck  Kanlet 
was  given  his  place.  On  the  strength  of  this  promo- 
tion the  big  "  f aller  "  went  East  to  marry  the  girl  of 
his  choice,  and  both  Alaric  and  Bonny  were  present 
at  the  wedding. 

Through  the  liberality  of  Amos  Todd,  the  ex-hump- 
durgin  boys  were  enabled  to  present  the  camp  with 
their  shack,  converted  into  a  neat  little  library  build- 
ing and  filled  with  carefully  selected  books,  in  which 
the  occupants  of  the  camp  are  greatly  pleased  to  dis- 
cover many  of  the  tales  already  told  them  by  Kick 
Dale. 

A  certain  famous  and  badly  used-up  hat,  carefully 
removed  from  the  camp,  belongs  to  Bonny  Brooks, 
and  adorns  a  wall  in  one  of  a  beautiful  suite  of  rooms 


A   FLOOD   OF   LIGHT  281 

that  he  and  Alaric  occupy  together  at  Harvard.  Here 
Alaric  is  taking  an  academic  course,  while  Bonny, 
whom  Arnos  Todd  regards  almost  as  an  own  son,  is 
sturdily  working  his  way  through  the  mathematical  and 
mechanical  labyrinths  of  a  Manual  Training  School. 
They  went  to  Cambridge  just  one  year  after  com- 
pleting their  studies  as  hump  -  durgin  boys ;  and 
while  they  were  still  Freshmen,  the  splendid  baseball- 
player,  who,  though  only  just  entering  his  Junior 
year,  was  captain  of  the  Varsity  nine,  happened  to  be 
badly  in  need  of  a  catcher. 

"I  can  tell  you  of  one  who  can't  be  beat  this  side 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  suggested  his  classmate 
and  pitcher,  Dave  Carncross. 

"Who  is  he?" 

"  Rick  Todd,  a  Freshman." 

"Son  of  Amos  Todd,  your  San  Francisco  million- 
aire ?" 

"Yes." 

"  Then  I  don't  want  him.  Millionaires'  sons  are 
no  good." 

" This  one  is,  though,"  insisted  Carncross  ;  "and  I 
ought  to  know,  for  I  taught  him  to  catch  his  first 
ball.  You  just  come  over  to  Soldiers'  Field  this  after- 
noon and  size  him  up." 

The  captain  needed  a  first-class  man  behind  the 
bat  so  badly  that,  in  spite  of  his  prejudices,  he  con- 
sented to  do  as  his  pitcher  desired.  He  was  amazed, 
delighted,  and  enthusiastic.  Never  had  he  seen  such 
an  exhibition  of  ball-catching  as  was  given  by  that 
Freshman.  Finally  he  could  contain  himself  no 
longer,  and  rushing  up  to  his  classmate,  he  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Carncross,  he's  a  wonder !  Introduce  me  at 
once." 

"  Rick  Todd,"  said  Dave  Carncross,  "  permit  me  to 


KICK   DALE 


present  you  to  my  friend  Phil  Ryder,  captain  of  the 
Varsity  nine." 

As  the  two  lads  grasped  each  other's  hands  there 
came  a  flash  of  recognition  into  each  face,  and  both 
remembered  where  they  had  met  each  other  last. 


THE    END 


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